


The Sweet Suite

by freechoicedreamer



Series: The final season [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Magic, Multi, Music, Post-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-11-18 05:23:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 96,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18114149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freechoicedreamer/pseuds/freechoicedreamer
Summary: Once upon a time... a Split-Evil Queen's wish to a lamp genie, a lonely princess, a lonely pirate and the magic of Love & Music. This is an epic journey that evolves as a suite, a collection of musical pieces which can be played one after another. The pieces alternate as dance movements when the dancers’ hearts are magically connected by True Love. These magic songs reveal the path of self- and mutual discovery undertaken by Emma and Killian, both from the Wish Realm, when awakening-, calling-, dreaming of-, reaching for-, accepting-, guiding-, finding-, and loving each other. The Sweet Suite is an ode to the eternal love of Killian Jones and Emma (Swan) Nolan: in any version and in any context they might appear their love will always transcend all space-time barriers.





	1. For those reading from a PC

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually a one- (and long-) shot story presented in two chapters that are equal but not "exactly" the same, in other words their content is the same but their presentation is not.  
> 
> 
> The structure of two partially identical chapters was the solution I found for offering a better fitting of the many illustrations and tables, which are part of the narrative, into the media used by the reader. The reasons for adopting this strategy are that, on small screens, reduced figures are more easily integrated into the narrative; besides, in relation to the tables, their large size on a small screen would greatly compromise their comprehensive reading.  
> This way, Ch. 1 has been formatted for readers using a PC and Ch. 2, for those reading from a smartphone.  
> Therefore, the total word count has been doubled but the actual word count (48392) is half of it...  
> Because the story is so long in terms of one-shot standards, for those who don't have the time to read it all at once, the suggestion is to read it as if it were divided into chapters (or episodes), which would compose the first part of a hypothetical eighth season of Once Upon a Time, organized as follows:  
> 
> 
> 8x01: The Awakening  
> 8x02: The Call  
> 8x03: The Dream  
> 8x04: The Reach For  
> 8x05: The Acceptance  
> 8x06: The Guidance  
> 8x07: The Finding  
> 8x08: Melody of Love; Extra Bonus  
> 
> 
> Disclaimer: I'm publishing this story for free and for fun. This is an original post-canon story. Characters and plots from canon Once Upon a Time (all its seven seasons) are not mine. References used are credited.

 

This fanfic (my first adventure into this new literary genre) was originally posted for the 2019 [CS March Madness](https://tmblr.co/myAh8rHIKGSryToaTMTGT4g).

The story is set after season 7 with a narrative focused on Wish Emma and Wish Killian without changing the canon status of the whole series but aiming at establishing a more consistent (despite nonlinear) flow of time, as well as a more balanced and less ambiguous redemption pattern for ex-villains, thus leading to more fairly earned happy endings.

The concept upon which the story was created is a musical novel that can be played through the combination of an illustrated text and song links although reading it only does not compromise at all its fruition. To achieve a better fruition of the story, however, it is recommended for the reader to listen to the songs in the links, as they appear, and to pay attention to the lyrics - if there is one, and also to take a time to look at the illustrations placed right after the links. The reason is that the songs are an intrinsic part of the story; they close the narrative of a segment and introduce the next one, inserting an interval for the transition between them. Together with the illustrations they smooth the transition and provide continuity to the narrative. 

To avoid distraction or excessive information, it would be better to open a secondary tab in the browser (for those on a PC) exclusive for the song links so that, while the front tab displays the story and illustrations, the video, hidden in a second plane, may be listen in the background. For smartphone, it is possible to duplicate the tabs on screen or, alternately, it is easy to set up ‘YouTube in the background’.

The story is structured in 7 movements (or suites) within which there are two segments: ‘opus 1’, for Wish Emma, and ‘opus 2’, for Wish Killian. Therefore, there are two types of transition: between opus and between movements. The goal of the structure is to create, through the division into two opus at each movement, a choreography danced alternately by them until the moment they find each other and dance together– that happens in the 8th (and final) movement. At the end, as an extra bonus, a timeline table with 20 tags summarizes a proposal for the narrative flow taking as main references the storylines of the two Emmas and the two Killians throughout the 7 seasons of OUAT added to a hypothetical season 8 ([The Final Season](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1472651) series), which would then correspond to The Sweet Suite (Season 8 - Part 1) and [Body and Soul (Season 8 - Part 2)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20376400/chapters/48324475).

I would like to thank @[xemmaloveskillianx](http://xemmaloveskillianx.tumblr.com/) ([xHookedonKillianx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xHookedonKillianx/pseuds/xHookedonKillianx) on AO3) for creating the CS March Madness, for accepting my request to participate of it, for inviting me to a Discord group with so many talented fanfic writers, and for opening a slot for a CS 2.0 story - that meant a lot to me. I would also like to express my gratitude to @[profdanglaisstuff](http://profdanglaisstuff.tumblr.com/) ([profdanglais ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/profdanglais/pseuds/profdanglais) on AO3) for her patience in beta reading part of the first draft and for her English corrections and suggestions. Overall, I dedicate this story to all fanfic writers who over the years have been spreading feelings of love, joy and peace, always shining without the need to dim the light of others, always through their love for two characters personified by the fine art of Jennifer Morrison and Colin O'Donoghue, creators of what today we refer to as 'CS'. With this story I propose that CS represents not only Captain Swan but also Captain Sweet. At last, I thank you, reader, for, hopefully, reading the story and listening to the songs.

Finally, introducing the concept “illustration on the front tab, building a pause to listen to the song, played in the background”, the transition between this Foreword and the first movement, opus 1, now begins:

[Foreword to Suite N. 1 - Opus 1 (Emma)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DMz27b4lrbeo&t=ZmNmNzFkNjE4ZjhjNzI2YjM3MDA4ZDAzOWViMDM5NDdjOTk5OGQxNSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

“What now?” Emma turns to the sky and asks the stars.

Missy and Luna, almost asleep on the porch, raise their heads in tune and walk up to her feet, wrapping her body in a silent hug.   

Another night, one more night immersed in the eternal pulsing of the sea that surrounds her, rhythmically synchronized with the back and forth motion of the porch swing, cradling the thoughts that wander in the darkness of night. One more night sailing and floating in the waters of her solitude.

With closed eyes, Emma dreams awake while she watches, on the transcendental screen of her mind, the parade of images that another screen has shown her over the last six years.

Six years, in a linear timeline, searching for the answers to so many whens, whys and hows related to what happened on the eve of that anniversary of hers: in a moment, she was in the royal palace, surrounded by her beloved parents, son and dearest friends, the next moment, she found herself surrounded by water on a far-from-every-known-land heart-shaped island… empty of human beings yet full of trees, a flower garden, two domestic animals and a cozy enchanted house.

The wood building provides her with shelter, food, clothing, warmth and comfort. It is a relatively small house, a hut almost, in comparison with the palace where she grew up and lived. It has two bedrooms, a combined living room, dining room and kitchen, a bathroom, a small laundry, a balcony and a special mezzanine. While the former rooms provide sustenance for her physical health, the latter has been her main spiritual refuge, her consolation during sleepless nights and days of longing. It is filled with a few musical instruments that include a piano, a cello and a guitar, books, magazines, notepads, artistic painting material, a gardening tool box and a mirror on the wall - an enchanted screen that, since she figured out how the magic of the house works, has allowed her to watch, in real time and flashbacks, the outside world in many realms, despite the fact that such connection remains unknown to the outside. She remains unknown to everyone, everywhere…

With the perspective of the six years already elapsed and the understanding that came with them, Emma considers, now, that the architect of the island, whoever he or she may be, was inspired and generous when designing it. However, it did not always seem that way. The initial perplexity (about everything) and the hopeless loneliness of those early days were difficult to cope with and it was after a lot of inner struggle and suffering that the light magic with which she was born blossomed and manifested with apparently full power.

Truth be told and credit be given, her love for Music is responsible for placating that emotional turmoil and for showing the path of inner peace. Being the product of her parents’ True Love, Emma was born with a luminous magic generated from her heart. However, before she was born, the nature of her magic, as well as the life of all inhabitants of her realm, was bound to be defined by one important crossroad of Destiny: if Regina, the Evil Queen, succeeded in the war against her parents, Emma would be born empowered with the light magic of a Savior. As it happened, however, with her parents defeating and banishing Regina before her birth, her magic remained dormant, waiting to be activated and released by a real necessity – and that latent possibility only manifested itself upon her arrival on the enchanted heart-shaped land.

During those first days on the island, lost in a labyrinth of intense emotions, Emma could not find the strength to do anything but cry and whine. As the days went by and with the end of the food supplies that she found in the house, she tried to calm down and think of a survival strategy. In the middle of this process, driven by an impulse, she climbed the stairs to the mezzanine, sat down in front of the piano and began to play a song. Having been educated in musical art, Emma sings and plays many instruments with refined skill, and it did not take her too long to become enraptured by the music that began to flow directly from her heart to the piano keys.

She played a sequence of musical pieces she knew by heart, progressively engaging herself in the purest and deepest emotions emanating from the music and, after a while, it was with surprise and relief that she realized that the house had magically awakened. The kitchen shelves became filled with food, the fire in the fireplace started to burn, and the mirror in the mezzanine lit up, like a magic window, focused on her distant realm. In awe, Emma then realized that the music coming from her heart was magic!

Following this new discovery, it did not take long for the mishaps to come. The tragic events, shown by the mirror, that had unfolded back home immediately after her transportation to the island, threatened to emotionally paralyze her again and to extinguish the flame of hope that had just been ignited. To face the reality of the brutal murder of her parents was very hard. It took her time to overcome all stages of sorrow, anger and grief before finally being able to look forward, beyond the mourning, and find the magic within her kindness and sweetness again. For that, she also has to thank Luna, the cat, and Missy, the dog, who have friendly - but in an almost absolute silence - witnessed all stages of her emotional scale.

From that day until now, some whys, whens and hows have been sorted out, some remain yet to be decoded but the light that emanates from her music, the light magic originated from her parents’ True Love, guided her steps during those dark days and nights until finally bringing a new purpose to her life: to honor and keep alive the legacy of her parents, as a tribute to them and as a way to keep herself alive, in the process. In a solemn vow, Emma then decided that she would dedicate her days in the island to nourish the Light that comes from the music played from her heart. She would learn how to use her magic to survive, to go back home, to reunite with Henry, to fix their broken kingdom which, she soon learned, was known in other worlds as the Wish Realm. Last, and most importantly, her magic music revealed the existence of her True Love, whom she discovered (because of the strong heart beating every time he appeared on the screen but also by the logical parallel with Emma Swan) to be Captain Killian Jones, also known as Wish Captain Killian Jones.

Since then, through her magic mirror she has seen many worlds and got acquainted with many realities. She got to know Emma Swan, the Enchanted Forest Savior, married to her True Love pirate, also named Captain Killian Jones. Through her magic screen she also found the alternate versions of Snow White and David ‘Charming’ Nolan, feeling an immediate connection with them. Although she knows that they are not her biological parents, although she knows she will always feel the void once filled by her true parents, the essence of what they were is preserved in Emma Swan’s parents; their mere existence has been a balm of hope and comfort to her heart.

Once, as she zapped through images on the magic screen, the clarity about what was behind the unexplained events she sought to find showed up, for the first time, in its fullness. With a mixture of indignation and perplexity, she watched, in flashbacks, all machinations of the Evil Queen, in a split-version of her, for sending Emma Swan from Storybrooke to the Wish Realm – some of those whens and whys, and at least in part, a few hows started then to be answered and, from that point on, new questions would be formulated and more answers would have to be sought.

Progressively, the more she watched, the greater the need for a broader understanding grew, which meant that much of her time was filled up in these ‘transcendental cinema’ sections. The very fact that she is now familiar with the customs and artifacts of more technological societies is a testament to how much she has learned and apprehended through her window into the worlds. The books stored in the mezzanine, she soon discovered, brought her complementary knowledge, insights and visions that opened her consciousness to absorb the multiple realities that appeared before her senses.

Of the many ‘movies’ she watched, she remembers fondly those who spoke most to her heart, by the closeness with people - she would discover, would be an essential part in the unfolding of her own destiny. She remembers watching the other version of Henry, Henry Mills, venturing into a second alternate Enchanted Forest, one where time runs outdated and faster than, at least, four realms: the Land without Magic, Storybrooke, the Enchanted Forest and the Wish Realm (which she sometimes thinks would be better named as ‘the Wish Enchanted Forest’). Because of his incursions into the 2nd Enchanted Forest, Henry Mills aged faster than her Henry and everybody else in those other realms. During this period, the older Henry met a 2nd version of Cinderella and fell in love with her. In one of their adventures he put himself in a messed up context that demanded a prompt help. Facing death, Henry remembered that he had a magic bottle given by his stepfather, Killian, for sending a call for help in case of emergency. The magic bottle reached two Killian Joneses, that is, one from the Enchanted Forest (living in Storybrooke), the other from the Wish Realm - and that caused their paths to cross in the 2nd Enchanted Forest. This way, for helping Henry Mills and Cinderella, three people specially closed to her heart showed up and gathered together there: Emma Swan, Killian Jones and old ‘man Killian Jones (Wish Killian).

She remembers as she watched, with much interest and a strange sense of tightness in her heart, when old Killian finally got to meet Emma Swan, for the second time, and his younger version, for the first time. Watching those particular meetings brought many of her important quests to a full circle.

In fact, it took her a lot of flashbacks in the mirror to understand the mismatch between the two Killians’ ages, but she got it, eventually. She even sketched a lot of timelines to synchronize all events aiming at determining the fundamental instant that defined the splitting of paths when the two Emmas took two divergent routes. She figured out that it happened when her late husband, Baelfire (or Wish Bae), decided to go back home and face his father willing to reconcile with him when he returned from Wish Neverland, whilst the other Bae (or, Neal Cassidy), disappointed with his father's love of power that dark magic gave him, went straight to the Land without Magic. That unfolded a multitude of subplots ending up with Wish Rumple not needing Wish Regina to cast a Dark Curse. What neither W. Regina nor W. Killian, who had also just arrived coming from Wish Neverland, knew was that W. Rumple had deceived the two of them, living up to the condition of W. Dark One - which he never ceased to be. He kept secret the fact of his reconciliation with W. Bae and made W. Regina believe that with his help she would prepare a Dark Curse. However, behind her back he secretly helped W. Blue to defeat W. Regina by taking her powers. On the other hand, by deceiving W. Killian, he wanted him to go to the Land without Magic thinking that all inhabitants of the W. Enchanted Forest, including W. Rumple, would be sent there by the Dark Curse. Instead, W. Rumple moved on and enjoyed a quiet life with his son and his new wife, Wish Belle. That led her Killian (oh, my Killian), to be met by a fugitive Wish Regina who negotiated with him the pursuit of a rare magic flower, hidden in the 2nd Enchanted Forest, in exchange for support in his revenge against the Dark One.

This ‘little’ adventure of her Killian ended up leading him to an enchanted tower where, seduced by a witch (Mother Gothel), and under her spell, he became the father of a baby girl, Alice. Unfortunately for his little ‘Starfish’ baby, immediately after being born she was condemned by her own mother’s dark magic to be imprisoned in the enchanted tower (in exchange for her mother’s freedom). Killian, already enraptured by the baby girl and because of his golden heart and sense of responsibility, gave up of his revenge to live in the tower and take care of his precious child instead.

Wandering through her own past memories and seeing how they fit perfectly into the whole timeline, Emma remembers, back in the Wish Realm, her deceased husband Wish Bae. From the moment they met it didn’t take long for her to be enraptured and captivated by his tenacity. She soon fell in love with him and they would marry when she was only 17 years old, almost 13 years younger than him. A year later, their son, Henry, was born. At the same time, in the Land without Magic, Emma Swan gave birth to her son with Neal Cassidy, also named Henry.

When her Henry was 10 years old, Wish Regina came back in secret from her exile, still following her damned revenge motto, to kidnap him. In the process she had to take Wish Belle with her, just because Belle happened to be with Henry that day. For Regina’s bad luck and, thank God, Henry’s fortune, she was forced to run away again shortly after that because Bae was able to interfere and free Henry. Unfortunately, he was unable to free Belle, who remained a prisoner in secret captivity (where she ended up starving to death). Furthermore, to everyone’s grief, her husband Bae died in this endeavor, as a hero. Immediately afterward, his desperate father switched back to the maddened and dangerously infuriated Dark One persona. Thus, sadly but for security reasons, Wish Rumple would be imprisoned in the royal palace dungeon by the fairies, under Wish Blue’s leadership.

Meanwhile, in Alice’s tower, her Killian was experiencing a spiritual growth forged in unconditional paternal love combined with a high dose of frustration because of Alice’s incarceration… it breaks Emma’s heart every time she thinks about that. However, seeing now, after knowing how things have evolved for him, she is deeply touched by the beauty of his journey into overcoming his fall into the abyss of hopelessness - which happened when Alice was still a girl…

At that time, because of a desperate moment of vulnerability caused by his own impotence in freeing his daughter, Killian took action in the form of a couple of bad decisions that culminated with his heart being magically poisoned by Gothel. The crux of Gothel’s curse condemned Alice and him to being unable to stand physically close to each other anymore. No matter how much he tried, his fall into the abyss became predictable and inevitable as he spent years searching in vain for the cure of his poisoned heart.

Ironically, the healing process of his disease would be, finally, triggered when he was already a hopeless drunk old ‘man, back in the Wish Realm. Emma Swan, the Savior, started the healing, unknowingly, during their first meeting, just by standing close to him, by letting herself to be known. If only for having activated the process, she will be eternally grateful to Emma. In this entire story, because of the split-Evil Queen’s wish, a high price has been paid by her parents, her brave and unforgettable (Wish) parents, by her (Wish) son and by herself, Emma Nolan – or, as some people call her, Emma ‘Sweet’ - trapped on a heart-shaped island. Nevertheless, for what is worth, Emma Swan’s brief stay in the Wish Realm was essential for Killian’s heart healing.

By the time she watched those events, although with the cloud still blurring, the mystery of her connection with Wish Killian had already dispersed enough for her to intuit that he was indeed the romantic true love of her life, with whom she was destined to share the strongest bond. Looking closely, it seems that the four of them share a deep connection, the two Emmas and two Killians. As a matter of fact, after her Killian first met Emma Swan, during her short stay in the Wish Realm, he stopped drinking and embarked on a new journey in search of the Savior, of that ‘Emma Swan’ whom, he learned, was the True Love of the other version of himself. In his somewhat crooked rationale, he concluded that receiving a True Love kiss from the Savior would heal his heart…

“Oh my poor naive old man…” She sighs.

Anyway, the rescue of Henry Mills led them all to meet: Emma Swan-Jones, Killian Jones and Wish Killian Jones. And that was when the real ‘fun’ began…

To begin with, with blood magic, Wish Killian rejuvenated back to the same age of Killian. He then planned to trick Emma Swan into true love kissing him but, instead, as soon as he heard that she was pregnant, his golden heart - despite almost dying after being wounded by a stab, shone brighter than the brightest star in the sky and gave up of his (nonsensical) plan. He was willing to sacrifice his own life so that the ‘other Killian’ could live the experience of fatherhood but, then, in gratitude and sensitive to the nobility of that gesture, this same ‘other Killian’ asked his wife to use her magic for healing the deadly wound.

Very touched by these memories, Emma remembers the emotional scene displayed on the magic screen: the moment when the wound was healed and the magic poison began to be neutralized by the strength of real Belief, infused by Emma Swan-Jones’s light magic on him. She will never ever forget the beautiful expression of hope and gratitude shining from his eyes, the renewed energy that would drive him into new narratives (including a new curse). Deep down, from the connection she feels with him, she knows that throughout all events that unfolded he would be pushed not only by his love for Alice but also, as part of a secret whose existence he suspects but does not yet know for sure, by the strength of their love - always silent though always present.

During all this time, although trying to respect his privacy, she has accompanied his journey in all of its ups and downs, always supporting and loving him from her lonely spot. Regardless of what she saw - or will see - through the magic screen, whose job has been to bring clarification and understanding of historical facts, what matters most is what she feels in her heart. And her heart has pulsated in sync with his, with her son’s, and with Alice’s as well, whom she has learned to love as her own daughter. She has suffered through their defeats, cried over their sorrows, vibrated with their achievements. She has dreamed sweet dreams of them all - especially of Killian, her softer version of Killian Jones…

She knows that Killian’s heart is now cured and luminous. She hopes that, soon, he will be ready to listen to her call because she feels she is ready to call him. She needs him to find her, to get her off the island and present her to the new world, the United Realms. She daydreams  of the day they will walk, holding hands, the paths that lead to her Henry, to his Alice and to all his – or rather their friends. She dreams of the day when together, as a whole, the two of them will be completely and utterly happy.

Before deserving such absolute happiness, Emma is aware that not everything will be flowers along her way, but this is Life. In addition to overcoming the physical obstacles that today separate her from her loved ones, she knows that she still has to battle some inner demons lacking in evolution. In particular, there is one that will require her special attention and a concentrated effort on her part.

During the last 6 years, it was and still is really hard to understand and forgive all of Regina’s actions (no matter of how many Reginas that may be out there), but she understands and already accepts that their Fate has always been drawn by mysterious lines - and that holds true for all Emmas, and Killians, and Reginas, and Henrys, and Rumples, and everyone else in their multiple versions: the peaks have been as high as deep have been the valleys.

She is quite aware of the high price in suffering and loss that Regina has paid along her way, but she also sees how difficult it has been for any Regina to really learn from the many lessons that life has repeatedly and recursively taught her. Basically and in summary, if learning to feel with a heart more compassionate and less self-centered and, also, to take responsibility, with true empathy and altruism, for the consequences of her acts might be considered Regina’s main challenges (and maybe her experience as the ‘Good Queen’ will finally provide what she needs to get there), learning acceptance and complete forgiveness might be hers.

For getting there, she hopes to count on the patience of her ‘detective’ by her side, pushing and supporting her when things get hard.

All considered and filtered, at least for one thing she is really thankful to the ‘Good Queen’: she was able to help her son, her Wish Henry, to come back to Light when his heart was corrupted by his grandfather’s darkness. She may not approve of Regina’s method to get that but she is thankful anyway. She may not approve of her trying to ignore and erase from Henry’s life the existence of his real mother and, then, trying to be a replacement for his real mother in his heart. So, still…

… it is hard. And because of that, she resents Regina… for not being considerate enough when it comes to King Henry’s origins, for not having, until now, used her knowledge in Magic to research about the existence of an alive Wish Emma, maybe cursed, maybe lost… no matter what, for sure separated from her beloved ones since that evil wish of hers (sort of hers). She resents her lack of mentions and thoughts at least on the tiny possibility of an alive Wish Emma.

The only persons that she feels (and knows, by witnessing some conversations of them) that really consider the possibility of her being alive are Wish Killian (by far the most active believer), Wish Henry (when wandering alone, dreaming of his real mom), Emma Swan-Jones & Killian Jones, Alice & Robyn, David & Snow, and Henry Mills (always an inquisitive mind).

Despite so many people thinking of her, she believes that only one is really available and willing to try and find her. At the moment, Emma & Killian are too busy enjoying the cuteness of their beautiful daughter, Hope. David and Snow have a son to look after besides their farm and school activities, which now include the commitment Snow assumed with Lancelot and Guinevere to promote an exchange between students of Storybrooke and Camelot. Henry Mills has a wife and a daughter to be devoted to. Her Henry is much too involved with royalty while being pampered by the ‘Good Queen’. Alice and Robyn, on a honeymoon phase, live the enchantment of their love. As for her Killian, * sigh *, although happy to participate - as a father, a father-in-law, a detective in Storybrooke, a friend, a ‘twin-brother’, a ‘brother-in-law’, and an uncle - of everyone’s happiness, in his innermost self, she can feel, there is a void. Deep down he longs for someone that he feels but doesn’t know for sure exists, his lonely and lost love…

She would like so much to show up and be present in his daily life… to talk to him and play her music for him to listen to, to listen to him talking, singing… to touch him, to love him. She longs so much for the love and friendship that she knows her Killian has to offer her.

She believes in their True Love connection – she knows, not rationally but with her heart, somehow, that their journey, related to the magic alchemy of their hearts, is still to be completed, maybe through a magic sequence of songs, like in a sequence of movements in a suite.

“We could find each other this way!! Gods above help me but I think I found the magic way, I believe I got it!” Emma exclaims while caressing absently Missy and Luna, who had jumped into her lap, “it’s so clear and obvious that these are not just random ideas, they are hints of a path, they make sense! They really do make sense!!”

And so, like a snap in her nocturnal rumbling, all of a sudden, the enlightenment arrives in a flash bringing the certainty that the Time has finally come. She smiles, excited at the comprehension of the enormity of this particular moment, of tonight out of all nights. She feels it deep in her heart, in her hands, in her vocal cords. So many events are displaying in her mind; so many characters in parallel versions of themselves are dancing an ethereal waltz that only she can see and hear; so many plots and narratives being written and figured out, so many timelines being decoded…

She has learned so much in these 6 years, the same years after which so many realms have been reunited and now coexist without barriers between them in their infinite possibilities, infinite realities…

Everybody has achieved so much, come so far and, yet, here she is, still trapped on her lonely hearty island, lounging, dreaming of him, her Killian, her True Love that doesn’t even know for sure that she exists – “well, not yet!!”

She feels the magic, vibrating and pulsating in her veins, pumped by her heart. The here & now has come and her music is ready to float and set sail. She stands up with her heart almost bursting, enters the house and climbs the stairs to the mezzanine, a dam of emotions about to burst.

Preparing to channel the power of her loneliness and send it through space to the heart of her love, thus announcing her existence and her need to fill the emptiness of her heart, she sits at the piano. A deep sense of prayer begins to rise to the gods carrying the cry of a solitude that has fueled so many dreams and generated so many memories of a dreamlike time filled with happy passages lived next to Killian - projections of a future that has become a past without ever having gotten to be a present.

“No more fantasies, life is real, the present is now”. Closing her eyes and breathing deeply, she hears, coming from an ethereal space, the keystroke of an old typewriter starting to write their story - at the same time she thinks on him and begins to play and sing the first movement, Overture - Opus 1, of ‘The Sweet Suite’:

[Suite N. 1 - Opus 1 (Emma) to Suite N. 1 - Opus 2 (Killian)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRNLYqFbvio)

“EMMA!!” he shouts.

Killian’s accelerated heartbeat awakens him from a deep sleep, bringing a restlessness that does not translate into words. Still overwhelmed by the emotion he cannot explain, he gets up and walks through the dark house with the familiarity of those who have become accustomed to the distribution of furniture, walls and empty spaces. At the front and left of the bed there is the kitchen counter, to the right the dining table, the front door, a music set in a bookcase, the reading armchair and the staircase leading to the mezzanine, occasionally occupied by Alice and Robyn when they come to visit.

“Water”, he says, feeling the thirst to drink pure, crystalline, almost magical water, and walks to the kitchen to pour a glass.

“Music”, whispers in his ears a feminine voice from beyond, “music to calm down and relax.”

The disc collection is extensive and eclectic, featuring soundtracks and playlists for all kinds of mood. In his cursed passage through Hyperion Heights, as Rogers, Killian got into the habit of collecting albums of all styles and eras, as well as practicing three ancient habits of his: playing chess, painting on canvas and reading (he devours from modern fiction and nonfiction novels to scientific essays – especially those on human psyche, science fiction, mystery stories, detective novels and superhero comics) - habits he did not want to give up when he moved to Storybrooke. On the contrary, he cultivates them more and more, although he now intends to include another passion: sailing. Since his old comrade Smee and his Jolly Roger landed in Storybrooke two weeks ago, his love for navigation was reborn.

“Good ‘old mate Smee”, he sighs, shaking his head gently and smiling as he drinks the water.

“What new surprise does Destiny have in store for me?” Killian wonders. “Perhaps something even greater than the peaceful coexistence, in the same town coast and time, of two perfectly identical ships named the Jolly Roger, two first mates with a reasonably strong resemblance named Smee, two identically devilishly handsome captains named Killian Jones, and, perhaps… two identically beautiful and defiantly willful women named Emma?” he chuckles dreamily.

Being late at night - or very early in the day, it doesn’t matter, he knows that sleep is gone. And so he decides to sit in his favorite chair after having randomly drawn a Neil Young album, which starts to play and to harmonize with his heartbeat. A soft ballad echoes through the light atmosphere of the loft, almost ethereal, cozy and simply sophisticated - just like its vintage decor. “It was very kind and considerate of Snow and David,” he tells himself looking around, “to have offered me their old residence in Storybrooke”.

As a matter of fact, the loft was kept closed for many years, preserved intact for when anyone in the Charming family needed a home. For a while Snow and David thought that Henry might be interested in taking up residence in Storybrooke after coming back from his travels, and the loft would be perfect for him. Reality, however, proved different and the married father Henry Mills, for obvious reasons, declined their offer. “Luckily for me”, he smiles, thinking of the tranquility with which he has lived in recent times. Rarely does he need to drive his car; the places he usually goes to are close enough for a walk. “Basically: Grannys’, Killian and Emma’s, the police station, a few shops in the local commerce area, the harbor…”

Things were not so quiet until very recently, though. Only after the intense buzz that followed the unification of all the Enchanted Realms and the coronation of Regina, the ‘Good Queen’, had finally quieted, the inhabitants of the United Realms gradually began to find new references, new balance, and Life reclaimed its natural course.

For Killian, a major move was not necessary since Alice and Robyn got married right after the coronation and decided to travel the worlds on a prolonged honeymoon. They keep in touch though and, from time to time, return to Storybrooke - they stay, as guests, in the loft for a few days but soon go back to the road. Sometimes they visit Zelena and her husband in San Francisco, but mostly they live exciting adventures in enchanted realms or in some exotic country of the Land without Magic. For them it does not matter that much where they are, as long as they are together and adventurous.

It is ironic, oh sweet irony of life, that now that Alice and her Papa can stand physically close to each other, they can actually touch and hug, they rarely do so. If on the one hand it is ironic, on the other it is what we can call the ‘natural order of life’ for a father to realize that his daughter is a healthy, emancipated, full-grown adult who lives a life of true love with a faithful, loyal, affectionate and friendly companion – a daughter that is happy and free. What more could this old man’s heart wish for his beloved Starfish?

Combined with the support he gives Killian at the Police Station (two pirates taking care of Law & Order!!) now that Emma spends more time with Hope, the idea of setting up residence in Storybrooke seemed to be simpler and the most natural one. It was not a purely rational decision, but fundamentally it was a choice guided by his heart. And who is to understand the mysteries of the heart? These pearls are always best explored in the wanderings of lonely nights – “such as tonight…” he says out loud.

Thus, although having no formal ties to the inhabitants of the city, the emotional ties with some special inhabitants manifested themselves and guided his footsteps. If he was guided by logical reasoning only, his friendly coexistence with Regina during their years in the 2nd Enchanted Forest and during the curse at Hyperion Heights would make her the person with whom he would most closely relate now. However, while maintaining a close and healthy friendship with ‘the Queen’, that was not quite the case. Of course, she will always be able to count on him in any eventual rough sea, but during the crossing of calm waters, as it happens now, it is not with her that he relates more - it is with Killian, Emma and their little Hope. Once they managed to overcome the initial awkwardness of dealing with two Killian Joneses with the exact same origin and same past – up to a turning point, of course - their relationship flourished and set sail.

The problem of two people named Killian Jones was a minor aspect of the whole picture and was simply solved after a few suggestions for what to address him: ‘Detective’, ‘ K.J.’ or ‘Killian Rogers Jones’. In general all of them are used, or variations thereof. For simplicity, Killian often calls him ‘Detective’ or, alternatively, ‘K.J.’. Emma prefers to call him ‘K. Jones’, although sometimes she uses ‘Killian Rogers’. As for Hope, she started recently to talk and decided to call him ‘Uncle Key’ which, he strongly suspects, will influence her parents to simply call him ‘Kay’, wait and see…

Once the problem of identical names was solved, the physical similarity between the two was not as such a major factor as one might suppose. The divergent trajectories that the two took reflect in their appearance and footprint. Despite the common taste for darker shades of clothing (leather, in general), life experiences shaped their styles and personalities differently. Thus, in opposition to his ‘twin’, Killian presents himself more discreetly, without the earring, rings and eyeliner and without the chest on display. Not to mention that he has a much more intensive and extended training, from his own experience in Hyperion Heights, in dealing with modern technologies, many of which he has introduced to Storybrooke. Among them, he is proud of having modernized the computing technology, now up-to-date with the advances in the Land without Magic. Killian’s greatest achievement is presenting to his ‘brother’ the use of a brain-controlled prosthesis, thanks to the latest advances in neuroscience. For Killian ‘Rogers’ Jones his prosthesis is an integral and natural part of his body, providing a noticeable improvement in dexterity. Since he came to Storybrooke, the other Killian has been more open to its use and to replacing his old hook, however reluctantly.

Apart from the issue with names and disability, the privilege he and Killian share does not escape them. On the contrary, whenever they can, they take full advantage of their unique affinity. The possibility of living close to one’s own ‘reflection’, who shares an exactly equal  past and who is, at the same time, a separate entity, with his own individuality and, from a certain moment along a timeline that already stretches for more than three centuries, with diverse history and life experiences, is indescribable. Of course, it’s also quite scenically interesting and a reason for friendly mocking, especially on the part of David and Henry Mills during family gatherings.

Family … Without being able to determine the exact moment when he felt integrated into this new family, the fact is that it happened naturally and simply, they are Family. Suddenly, his universe expanded and his heart came to be inhabited by new residents - all very dear, all much loved.

Equally difficult to explain is his visceral urge to approach and protect her son, young King Henry, to bring him closer to his life and his family. He feels such a strong empathy towards Henry that it surprises him in its level of intensity. Even more interesting has been Henry’s positive response to this approach, as if on his part the need for approximation is also organic. The simplest argument to explain the symbiosis between the two of them would be to attribute it to their common origin, namely the Wish Realm. But Killian knows it’s more than that, even though he cannot put his finger on this wound - which is not even a wound, on the contrary, it may be one of his missions in life, if not the main mission of his life. He wishes…

“I wish… that Wish Emma were real”, he bursts out, remembering the last conversation he had with Henry, after which the concept of this ‘mission’ has been solidifying, gaining form and content…

_“Henry, tell me about your mother, your biological and true mother, who raised you during your childhood and part of your teenage years…” Killian asked Henry when he came to visit, a week ago, and stayed in the loft. “How did she disappear?”_

_“That is a question I’ve been asking myself for six years, Killian,” Henry replied reticently. “I do not know. I mean, what I do know is that there was a time when she was replaced by Emma Swan, but I have no idea if she evaporated into the air, or if she was bewitched, or imprisoned… I have already considered so many hypotheses, I have even consulted some magicians and fairies, but no one has been able to formulate an answer which I find satisfactory and believable.”_

_“Have you ever asked Regina, since you two have been very close to each other?” Killian questioned, quite interested in the subject. “Would she have any plausible ideas about your mother’s whereabouts?“_

_“Yeah, I have. She believes that my mother, most likely, died - not as my grandparents died, but as someone who has disintegrated into the ether, something like what happened to the love of her life, Robin Hood, but in Mom’s case as a price for the magic. She told me that the genie who granted the wish of the split-Evil Queen warned about a price to be paid for the wish of ‘Emma Swan not being born a Savior’…”_

_“Well, that may be a reasonable assumption, but somehow I feel that it may not correspond to the truth. Just as an exercise, forget what Regina believes.” Killian interrupted him. “My question then is: what do you feel in your heart, Henry?”_

_“Honestly? I’m not sure, it is a conflicted feeling, or a battle between feeling and reasoning, I don’t know for sure. Just as my mother was not born a Savior, I was not born the Truest Believer, I guess. I want to believe, I swear I do! I do hope that by some miracle she’s alive, but with reasoning, when I think about it, I cannot believe it”, Henry admits. “For some years I have led expeditions throughout the kingdom in search of her. No one has ever seen or heard of anything…”_

_“Perhaps she is not in the Wish Realm…” Killian wondered and then looked up, resolute, “Henry, my boy, please listen to me. I promise to study this case from new angles; I’ll approach it with new perspectives. I’m not sure myself either, but I feel that I am close to your mother and to everyone and everything related to her story - you included, in a way that goes beyond any rational explanation. I should take advantage of the fact that I’ve been trained by investigative experiences – cursed and non-cursed, for a reason, and it’s about time to use them. I’ll keep you updated when I find new clues to solve this mystery.”_

_“That would be great, thanks, Killian. This means the world to me…” Henry smiled_  with _sincere gratitude and renewed hope._

“Hope”, Killian repeats while a ballad echoes…

 **"Old man look at my life  
** **I’m**   **a**   **lot**   **like you**   **were**  
 **Old man look at my life**  
 **I’m a lot like you were..."**

Neil Young’s voice floats in the air, and Killian’s thoughts wander with the lyrics.

“Old man, look at my life”, he sings along and adds: “Not any old man but a certain one, an old mate Rumpelstiltskin, a certain Mister Gold”.

“G’old…” he whispers slowly, “G’old man…”.

 **"Old man take a look at my life  
** **I’m a lot like you**  
 **I need someone to love me**  
 **The whole day through**  
 **Ah, one look in my eyes**  
 **And you can tell that’s true..."**

If there is in his entire history a part that causes him a deep and latent pain, it is the story of the two perfect antagonists, the enemies whose fates have intertwined in such a way that they have overcome barriers of time and space. Indeed, looking closely, there are four antagonists in an even more intricate mesh - and this is one of the favorite philosophical topics between him and the other Killian, such as in their conversation at Killian and Emma’s house two nights ago.

_“Who or what are we?” asked ‘Killian Jones’ to ‘K.J.’ on that summer afternoon. “I mean, who are the four of us, the four old men: me, you, Rumple and Wish Rumple. What kind of bizarre square do we form?”_

_“Putting in this way - which had not occurred to me before, but is indeed a fascinating association, what comes to mind is a square inserted in a circle, much studied in psychoanalysis,” K.J. replied. “Jung developed fantastic theories about a three becoming a four, the symbol of quaternity: a state of greater wholeness than a trinity. He had gathered instances of the same move across a range of human activities, from the geometry of mandalas to theology.”_

_“That’s really interesting…” Killian ponders. “For me, before I knew about the Wish Realm, I saw myself and the Crocodile as a perfect pair of foils, a perfect model of enemies destined for a final clash from which only one would survive. Our stories and destinies seemed to be forged in the same furnace and would stretch for centuries” Killian pondered as he took a sip of rum. “But then you happen to exist as a duplicate of myself and also there was another Rumple as a duplicate of ‘my’ Rumple, all of us with destinies defined by a crossroads in time. Note that whether I say that you are a duplicate of me, or that I am a duplicate of you doesn’t matter. We both exist with the inherent complexity and intricacy of every human being.”_

_“Indeed, and what different destinies we had!” K.J. remembered, sipping an iced tea._

_“Aye, our destinies unfolded in a completely different way, in terms of fundamentals and priorities, the moment one Regina cast the Dark Curse and the other Regina did not. The lack of a Dark Curse in the Wish Realm led you onto the path of fatherhood, which made you relinquish your vengeance at the same time that I invested all my cards in my revenge plan. Although ‘your’ Rumple was still your enemy, Mother Gothel became your greatest one, defeating Rumple was no longer your priority.”_

_“Killian, you see, despite so many differences along the paths we walked, the greatest irony in our story is that, in the end, it was with ‘your’ Rumple that my path crossed in the 2 nd Enchanted Forest and in Hyperion Heights. It was with me that he developed and deepened a greater friendship.” K.J. remembered, with a melancholic smile. “Mr. Gold - ‘Weaver’ - became my daughter’s protector, became my best friend during really tough times and, in the name of this friendship, which he confessed in one of his last moments, to have been what he always felt for me, or better saying, for you, or for us - he offered me his ultimate sacrifice, his own life, his own heart.”_

_“That’s bittersweet… I don’t even know how I feel about that. Rumple and I never had such an opportunity for resolving our differences the way you had with him. I mean we never cut the edges - and we had a lot - of our disagreements and his betrayals - you know, Dark One stuff. While you were living your story with Alice, for me ‘Mr. Gold’ translated into a Dark One that brought successive problems and obstacles for my happiness. I even understand that he spared my life on several occasions in the name of this weird friendship, confessed on the eve of dying. But there’s a taste of bitter, unfinished story, in my mouth. Anyway, I am happy for him, for his trajectory, to have been able to break free from the darkness, meet his Belle and to save your life in the process. Despite his dark and badly concluded history with Milah, theirs – I mean his and Belle’s history – may have some questionable passages with abuse and betrayal, from his part, but in the end it has proved to be a triumphant true love story, after all, and from their love a wise sorcerer was born, Gideon. For my part, deep down, the fate of Milah’s soul aside - and that is a strain on a white linen that I still hope to see cleared - I am grateful to Rumpelstiltskin. Simply said, I feel an eternal gratitude; for it was thanks to this madness that he and I lived that I managed to cross time-space barriers and was able to meet with my True Love.”_

_With that, K.J sighed silently, but Killian, quite perceptive, noticed._

_“K.J.” - Killian offered - “has it never occurred to you to wonder about the fate of Princess Emma, I mean, Wish Emma? That is an intriguing topic of great interest to Emma and to me. For Emma, who experienced under her skin the Princess’s essence, the initial impression was that the princess’s personality, being completely opposite to hers, kind of sucked. On the other hand, once things stabilized for us and we had more time and calm to reflect on the whirlwind that we lived during those wild times, the thought and perception of Emma have changed. Today she feels that Princess Emma was a woman of extreme sensitivity and that she had the opportunity to develop a personality marked by gentleness, sweetness, a kind of soft version of my Emma - and that makes sense since Wish Emma was raised by soft versions of Snow and David, who did not have to live under a Dark Curse. Their lives might have floated on a sea of honey until the moment everything became an upside down hell, thanks to the split-Evil Queen.”_

_“Killian, the rational answer to this question I do not have, but I have the response from my heart, from my feelings. What I feel is that Wish Emma is alive. Don’t ask me how I know but it is as strong as the pulse of my heart - which is also the heart of our old golden friend.” K.J. states with conviction. “I have been thinking a lot about it and about her, almost organically, as if my life depended on finding her. I set out to look for her; I even promised to her son, King Henry, that I will approach the problem from new angles. Besides, Alice, in her most recent visit, told me during a chess match that she and Robyn have seen new enchanted lands that have not yet been mapped, new islands, new realms not catalogued yet in the United Realms. It’s not much, but it’s a start…”_

_“Excellent news!! Great!” Killian exclaimed with enthusiasm. “I’m not sure if we would be able to travel the worlds with you, but please count on me, Emma, and Hope and – I’m positive that I can tell you in their name too, you also have Henry Mills, Cinderella, Snow and David – and their kids - by your side as a supporting team. At a recent lunch, they confessed to believing that Princess Emma, who in different circumstance could have been Henry’s mother and Snow and David’s daughter, after all, is alive and well, just missing. You know, Henry is the Truest Believer and  Snow is… you know, Snow, with all her talk about Hope and True Love, adding to the mix David’s motto that ‘in our family we always find each other’…”_

“We always find each other…” Killian repeats and looks beyond the walls into the sky.

“Wish Emma, where are you? Are you feeling as lonely as I am?” He says to no one. “From where are you whispering sweet thoughts in my ears, enchanting my heart with a lovely song sung in your dreamy voice, my dearest Sweet? Oh, Sweet Emma Sweet, how I wish you were here…” Killian launches these questions and laments in the air without knowing how they will be heard and answered, if they will be, and when. But he throws them anyway because he misses she whom he doesn’t know yet, the companion to his lonely nights.

He misses feeling attached to a woman in an act of love. Since Milah’s death, all the women he has known intimately did not bring him what he sought, beyond immediate, physical pleasure. None was able to fill the emptiness of his heart. At first he thought it was because his heart was poisoned by revenge, then, later, by Gothel’s spell, but even after he had been healed from the curse by Rumple’s sacrifice, the emptiness remained. He misses feeling romantic love, even though he feels he already loves the one he seeks. He’s not sure if the impulse he feels coming from his transplanted heart is generated by its primary source - a message from Heaven sent by Rumple and his love, Belle, or if it comes from his absent love, wherever she is, trying to become present. In any scenario, the fact is that he misses so much… He just misses…

He misses the high seas, the undulating motion of deep waters, the meeting of immensities in the fusion of sky and ocean, the silence of the soul. He misses the stars, the moon… He misses what he does not know but knows he needs, anyway, because he just needs – as organically and essentially as the need for water, earth, fire, and air. He misses the essential element of life. He misses Love though he loves… he loves Alice, he loves younger Henry, he loves his family of friends, he loves life, he loves reading, he loves sailing, he loves painting, he loves his Emma, he loves her and her… Music – as a pattern that underlies the human experience played out.

After the dream from which he awoke tonight, he senses that, when chosen well, music can guide the psyche to become ordered, connected and able to achieve an emotional, spiritual – or physical desire. And he desires, as a miner digging in the depths of the soul, to find _her_ , to find for _her_ and for _him_ , the enigmatic heartbeat's source setting a pace that brings up the memory of that one special man with a heart of Gold. The one special heart of Gold who aligned his free will with a plot designed by Destiny and sacrificed his old life to continue beating in another chest, a Survivor's chest. With that gesture, Rumple donated not only his purified heart but his primal strength to keep searching for the deep meaning of life and love. A very special heart of Gold, indeed, shining with the resilience and delicacy of shimmering golden threads entwined in an intricate embroidery whose design, Killian feels, begins to be revealed in this mysterious night... 

In the midst of his nightly reverie, and without prior notice, Killian's line of thought is interrupted by the first chords of a song coming from the playlist. It is not any song but the exactly and specifically right song - “and don’t even ask me how I know it is the right song, I just know!” Killian laughs full of hope. While shaking his head to the rhythm of the harmonica and with a conviction that comes from the deepest depths of his heart, he closes his eyes and thinks of her. The certainty that his Emma, his Emma Sweet will listen to him if he sings along with Neil Young suddenly radiates from his heart - somehow, inexplicably, he feels it! And as simple as that, he starts to sing along for her to listen and to acknowledge that… he knows!!

[Suite N. 1 - Opus 2 (Killian) to Suite N. 2 - Opus 1 (Emma)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Du925g6CgKuw&t=MjIwYzczYmE5NGY5NmMyYzU2N2Y4MWZiZjI2OTg4YjY4Y2ExZGEzZCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

 

The days after the first contact with Killian brought as many hopes as uncertainties. It’s been three days now, during which Emma has devoted herself to a systematic and continuous study - researching in all books available in her small library - that could offer her some advice or answer, any clue to help her in the search of how to proceed on the journey to which both she and Killian have awakened.

In her notebook, Emma has filled in dozens of pages with inconclusive thoughts; many of them are, probably, false leads…

“If only someone, a magician, a fairy, any luminous magical being would come out and explain to me what I need to do!” She sighs anxiously. “It’s all so frustrating, being so close to the path that leads to the clarity of consciousness but having to wander through the darkness of ignorance.”

At that, the meowing and barking of Luna and Missy, which she rarely hears, make themselves present from outside the house, sounding like two children playing, laughing and running to the beach. The company of her two ‘girls’ has always been a balm appeasing her moments of pain, always present in a soft and serene way like the sea breeze.

“Well, maybe, not always serene, just like now. They seem agitated, but in a good, cheerful way…” she says. “Perhaps it’s a good idea to join them… let’s go meet the girls!” Emma exclaims as she gets up from her desk and walks to the balcony.

At the beach, Emma finds her pets swimming and playing calmly, peaceful, or rather floating in the ocean under a surreal combination of blue and sunny light. Immediately, she takes off her clothes and joins them on the vast white sands, welcoming the warm waves. A feeling of tranquility pervades her senses, all the anxiety she had felt before, gone after being washed by the salty waters. Once relaxed and restored she gets out of the sea, puts her clothes on, grabs her pets and walks into the house in a renewed state of mind.

After a refreshing shower and a frugal meal, shared with Luna and Missy, Emma returns to the desk feeling inspired to continue the research and to take notes. 

At the sound of the sea waves crashing on the beach as if they were crying out for some name, an ethereal breeze runs through Emma's mind carrying and bringing certainties and questions, echoing soundless words, signifying from a new angle all the haste and calm experienced in the last six years.

Tuning her ears, Emma closes her eyes and listens to the sound of the wind in the starry infinity, thinking of all the good things she has done, felt, and heard, attaining the privilege and smallness of being a part of this indistinct universe.

Then, opening her eyes and breathing calmly and synchronously with the waves, on a blank page ready to receive her thoughts she begins to write by reproducing the verses of a poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, which she did not even remember knowing by heart, but to her surprise, they sprang from her memory like spurts from a waterfall.

 **“When anxious, uneasy and bad thoughts come,  
** **I go to the sea, and the sea drowns them out**  
 **with its great wide sounds,**  
 **cleanses me with its noise,**  
 **and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me**  
 **that is bewildered and confused.”**

“How should I order what still is a bit of a ‘bewildered confusion’ in my mind?” She wonders… 

Breathing in and out slowly, feeling the alignment of ideas that deep breathing provides, she then continues to write:

**The sea, or in a broad perspective, the ocean, seems to be a key to what I seek but…to what does the ocean stands for?**

She thinks for a while on the waves as fluctuations of emotions, summing up her three-day incursions on researching a specific psychology literature, especially in Jungian analytics, and goes on:

**The island and the ocean are taken as archetypal images, a set of symbols produced by the collective unconscious: the refuge island, the paradise island... These archetypes have a source that is lost in time and are found in various cultures where the oceanic-island image dates back to the beginnings of the creation of the world. In the modern world, these images survive in literature as symbols, and so some literary works help to explain the permanence even today of some important symbolic representations of the ocean and islands.**

**From my recent readings, I can say that the sea-ocean image is often linked to that of navigation and crossing. Sailing or erratic traveling of heroes across the sea means that they are exposed to life-threatening challenges usually symbolized by mythological monsters arising from the seabed. Seen from this perspective, the undersea region thus becomes the symbol of the unconscious.**

**I believe that the ocean stands for the soul, for the primal state of emotion and sub consciousness, the ultimate essence of Nature. Somehow, opposing to the intellect, and changing in accordance to the state of emotions that we are feeling, there goes the ocean: stormy, crashing waves - overwhelming emotions threatening to drown us. Peaceful, deep waters – elevated state of mind and spirit.**

“What more?” she questions, before proceeding…

**The ocean also stands for the sub consciousness: the unknown parts of the mind, the unexplored thoughts, emotions and feelings that are not visible on the surface but are represented by dark, hidden depths of the ocean.**

A new pause, new thoughts, and she writes a conclusion: 

**Finally, the ocean stands for the soul: the tranquil, inner part of oneself, which lies at the core of a circle; a still, deep ocean reflects the deepness of the soul. That brings to the next part of the ocean equation: Nature, a primal – core - state, a primal purity, an original condition from which other things arise. The ocean is the origin, the center from which all other things are connected…**

**As the primal root of all existence the ocean calls from within, with a voice sometimes soft, sometimes angry, sometimes sweet, sometimes salty, sometimes severe, sometimes sharp, the ocean calls… Old sailors plunged in the ocean of their memories, children floating in the memories of the maternal womb, to all emotions and feelings - the ocean calls. And they all listen and respond to the call.**

“The ocean calls the sailors…” Emma whispers and then shouts and laughs and cries her oceanic tears while Missy and Luna, waking from a nap, exchange silent glances.

“THAT IS IT!!! I FOUND IT!”

“I know how to call my love, my dearest golden-heart sailor; I just know the music that will pour all my feelings into waves and will oscillate all my ups and downs: a musical piece that is much more of an emotional journey than merely a technically challenging composition. I just know the exact musical etude that will communicate to Killian my emotional state and will tell him how to find me: the answer is in the Ocean that surrounds the island, the Ocean that surrounds my own core. The island is me, the Ocean is my emotions! I just know how to call my love!!!”

She smiles and runs to the piano where, exactly as she predicted, after the first chords she is immediately thrown into a slightly emotional chaos, thus pouring her Soul and Heart into her Call:

[Suite N. 2 - Opus 1 (Emma) to Suite N. 2 - Opus 2 (Killian)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Ds_sfwsVbd4k&t=ZDVmOWQ3MDAwMTg5ZjZiZjc3ODNjODg3YTFmOTZkNTQ2NGE4MjZiZCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

Killian was in Agrabah when he heard Emma’s Call. If on the one hand it was very important that it happened there, on the other hand it was more complicated because he already wanted to leave sailing the Ocean without worrying about any preparations for the journey. Luckily he had not traveled alone, on the contrary. He was accompanied by a large group of family and friends who, after the Call, managed to bring him back from his state of stupor and intense emotion.

The decision to go to Agrabah was a result of Killian’s research at Storybrooke’s library. Although people no longer rely on Belle’s eager readiness to search for information on matters of witchcraft and magic, the library is today the United Realms most important repository of knowledge in the magical sciences, thanks to the efforts of her wizard son, Gideon. In a posthumous tribute to his mother’s memory, Gideon casted a spell on the library search system, turning it into a tool more powerful than any Internet search engine of the Land without Magic.

Because of that, Killian quickly came to an important clue related to genies and the wishes they grant, which could be a crucial factor to what might have happened to Princess Emma the instant Emma Swan replaced her:

**“Jinn are much more than demons or spirits. They’re intelligent, free-willed creatures who live close to nature and are endowed with magical powers. Very much like humans, only more supernatural. Some of them are good, some are evil, and still more are somewhere in-between. We can pretty much count on them being tricksters in one form or another…”**

_“A genie may be good, or evil, and still more are somewhere in-between…” he repeats, “good, intelligent and… in other precious words: Aladdin knows! I need to meet him as soon as possible,” K.J. told Killian and his wife. “You two know him, don’t you?” he asked them._

_“Of course, we know him and his wife, Jasmine, they are good friends of ours,” Emma replied. “K. Rogers”, she said, “the absence of barriers between realms made travel to ex-distant lands very easy. Although it is difficult to reasonably conceive that at the latitude of Maine a desert with torrid sands can be found, at least for us, having secured access to the United Realms, Agrabah exists and proves that it is possible. It is located within a few hours of Storybrooke, by the way, traveling along the seacoast.”_

_“Okay, we should take advantage of everything being quiet and should do it **now**!” Killian Jones exclaimed as he hugged K.J. and headed for the dock. “My Jolly Roger is better equipped for an immediate trip, perhaps in a better state than yours. In the meantime, your mate W. Smee can stay in Storybrooke, coordinating the repairs that your ship needs for sailing, if necessary, as soon as we get back from Agrabah.”_

_Already in his captain mode, Killian made some phone calls and some invitations. K.J. also called Alice, who immediately magically transported herself and Robyn to Storybrooke, and young Henry, who was travelling nearby and also declared himself in. At the end of the day, the entire ‘crew’ was ready to embark: Killian, Emma, Hope, David, Snow, Neal, Henry Mills, Cinderella, Lucy, younger Henry, Alice, Robyn, Mr. Smee (from the Enchanted Forest), and, naturally, K.J., the most interested in the journey._

_The trip, though short, took place in a festive atmosphere, everybody hopeful in finding clues that could help Hope’s ‘Uncle Key’ to find his princess, her ‘Aunt Emm’._

_As soon as they arrived in Agrabah, they were warmly welcomed into the royal palace by a very busy Princess Jasmine, who told them that Aladdin was visiting the local market. In the geopolitics of the United Realms, one of Queen Regina’s functions is to maintain at a peaceful level the balance between hegemonic domination and counter hegemonic thinking, in other words, to avoid the magical, political and cultural domination of one society or kingdom over others. In this way, each realm retains its cultural identity and local governance system as an independent state. In Agrabah, Jasmine and Aladdin are very dear to the people, who live in abundance and prosperity._

_When Aladdin returned from the city, he met with the visiting party and became aware of what had brought them there._

_“All right, so let’s see…” Aladdin inhaled and exhaled deeply, brushing his forefinger against his chin in a thoughtful manner. “As you well said, lamp jinn are intelligent and cunning beings - attributes that, without false modesty, I possess in abundance, and thanks to which I have survived the many misfortunes that have come my way.”_

_“From the time I lived in Storybrooke after the Dark Curse was broken,” Aladdin went on, “I remember concepts from the Land without Magic, known as Quantum Mechanics, which are related to infinite possibilities, infinite worlds - and that’s what the Split-Evil Queen’s wish was all about. That is, she relied on the existence of a realm where the Evil Queen did not cast the Dark Curse and therefore there was no need for the birth of a Savior.”_

_“You were born a Savior too, weren’t you?” Emma interrupted._

_“Yeah,” he replied, and continued, “and every Savior is necessarily bound to a Villain - Jafar, in my case, and Regina, in yours. In the case of Princess Emma of the Wish Realm, being a product of True Love could grant her powers of unprecedented light magic - as it happened to you, Emma – but for her, since the villain, Wish Regina, had been defeated and was powerless, the magic remained dormant. Which does not mean that her light magic does not exist; only that it has been inactive for a long time.”_

_“You mean my mother may have magic?” interrupted young Henry._

_“Potentially yes and in principle her magic power could be developing now, when she may need it to survive where she probably lives. And then we get into what interests you most. Yes, she may be alive; she did not disintegrate into some ethereal space. What happened to her was what I could do in the short time I had between listening to the command of the Split-Evil Queen and executing it, that is, granting her wish. Unfortunately I cannot specify the geographical coordinates of to where she was transported the moment you, Emma Swan, took her place in what we know as Wish Realm. Given the adverse circumstances I was in, I mean, as a slave under the command of the Split-Evil Queen, I had no autonomy to disobey her. I’m actually proud of how I managed to be as tricky as possible. What I did was think of a place that was simultaneously far away, safe, comfortable, hidden, and that offered her means and facilities for her release when the right time came. That’s what I got in the short time I had.”_

_Following an absolute silence in which a lot of information was absorbed and processed by all, several questions began to be asked at the same time in a rush of voices, exclamations and ponderings. All of them spoke out loud except for the most interested of them, Killian ‘Rogers’ Jones. During the fuzz, as if in a trance, Killian closed his eyes and only opened them again to exclaim a single word: **“Ocean**!_”

_New silence in the room followed, all the attention turned to him. He continued, “Emma made contact with me at this very moment, from her heart to my heart… It is difficult for me to explain, it is like by the alchemy of our hearts tuned to a specific song that we communicate, and she just called me! In an intense, exciting way, she called me conveying the idea and pulse of the Ocean. I believe she’s close to the sea, perhaps surrounded by it on some sort of island, would that be possible?”_

_“Aladdin,” Jasmine, who had hitherto been silent, called her husband looking serious into his eyes. “Would that be possible? And why haven’t you told me or anyone else about that before?”_

_To which Aladdin replied “perfectly possible, my love, an island configured as I explained: distant, safe, comfortable, hidden, that is, difficult to be accessed, but offering conditions and facilities for her to be released at the right time. I never told you about that before because I was not in a position to speak, this should not be my job. Believe me; I knew that at the right moment this ball would roll out properly. And from what you describe, K.J., hopefully, the right moment has just arrived,” Aladdin concluded with a generous and optimistic smile._

_And with those fortunate events, the short journey to Agrabah came to an end. After a banquet in honor of the illustrious visitors, their return to Storybrooke was even more festive since they were all very excited with the possibility of the epic adventure that K.J. was about to embark. A journey, according to him, that would be guided by his heart, and her heart, without pre-defined duration and with a world of uncertainties ahead of them. For those reasons, although everyone had offered to accompany him at least for some time, K.J. was adamant: “I thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, I am deeply touched, but I feel that this must be a journey of self-discovery and finding each other in the old and good true love fashion way. And look, there is no need to worry; I intend to take a small crew of well-trained sailors with me: my faithful friend Wish Smee, Kevin Smith, the cook, and Bill Wyatt, an all-work helper. Besides, if Mr. Smee, here present, so wishes, he will be very welcome to join us. Can you imagine that, Killian?” he laughed, and so did Killian, “two Smees on one deck!“ – to that, everybody laughed._

_“Count on me, Captain!” Smee replied, “It will be my pleasure, and a real honor, to accompany you and your mates on such a noble mission.”_

…

“Papa?” Alice calls her father, approaching him on the deck, where he stands looking at the distant Storybrooke harbor, on the horizon.

“Aye, Starfish?” Killian smiles, turning to his daughter whilst opening his arms to welcome her.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to accompany you?” Alice asks, as she snuggles into her father’s embrace.

“Quite sure, love. Though I promise that we will sail together after I come back with my – if it is possible for me to say so, I mean, my Emma. When we come back, I promise we will sail with you, Robyn and Henry as a family”, he sighed, “but for now, I need to go far out on the ocean alone though with just a few men to help me sail the Jolly Roger. I feel like I need to pass  some kind of test, to face my own subconscious, to go deep into my own emotions and my mind…”

“… and find her, your Emma, your true love”, Alice adds.

“Aye, to find my one – but not only - true love. You know that, don’t you?”

“Sure, Papa, as sure as Robyn is my true love too…” Alice replies with a chuckle.

“Rogers!!” shouts an excited Henry, as he approaches, holding Lucy’s hand while talking to younger Henry. “We bring important news, a piece of information that the Author’s Pen from the Wish Realm has just written in Henry’s story book. It was Lucy who first saw it!”

At that, the younger Henry opens his story book while saying:

“Look, Killian, I haven’t used the Author’s Pen since my grandfather W. Rumple died - I thought I was not allowed to use it as an Author anymore because of the way I misused it last time. Despite  that, yesterday, when I was preparing for this trip, I remembered that I always carry it with me, in my personal luggage, in case it decides to work with me again or, maybe, with Henry. I mean, he could be able to reactivate the Author’s Pen to help find my mom… Anyway, and with all commotion in Agrabah I completely forgot that I had brought the Pen. However, a few minutes ago, while I was talking with Lucy and Neal in our cabin, it started to write some really relevant words, like a verse or a riddle… You must take a look at them:”

**To Emma’s call Killian responds singing a song together with those travelling with him. They form a chorus to his call; they form the tear drops of his emotion as everyone comes from the ocean and carries a part of the ocean within.**

With tears in his eyes, Killian reads the crystal clear message and nods his head affirmatively. The overwhelming emotion is so intense that almost hurts and makes him stumble on the deck. Supported by Alice, he takes the smartphone from his coat pocket and searches his playlists for the song that, he senses, will be his calling. As he finds it, he closes his eyes breathing deeply, tuning into his Sweet Emma and into his heartbeat. Gradually, all passengers of the ship, being alerted by Neal, approach the small group, hand in hand, in silence, with deep reverence before such a solemn moment. Even the kids, Neal, Lucy and little Hope (“the cute”, in her own words), at her father’s lap, are circumspect. In the background, Storybrooke’s harbor approaches, bringing another ship closer, the other Jolly Roger being made ready to lead Killian across the Ocean.

Opening his eyes and turning to the open sea, K.J. finally presses  ‘play’ and begins to sing along at the top of his lungs and with the strength of his heart, accompanied by all hearts and voices that, from the deck, chant in chorus:

[Suite N. 2 - Opus 2 (Killian) to Suite N. 3 - Opus 1 (Emma)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D34jZePnMQNQ&t=YmUyZjczOTA1MDg1NDk4YjEyMzlmNDM2YWE2OWRjMDRkMzg3NWY2NSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

The chorus of voices, led by his golden heart, pulsates and echoes through the sky and through the seas. They call and evoke, and to their call, Emma responds. Thus, in the sunny afternoon, as the Jolly Roger approaches Storybrooke’s coast, a beautiful and ethereal woman walks slowly across her deck…

“You are sailing, Killian, to be near me… but, in a way, you are close to me already, not physically yet but… I see you and I feel you, my love, all of you, close to me, dear ones. Do you feel me the way I feel you?…” Emma asks, extending her arms as she walks, translucent and lucid, among the passengers of the Jolly Roger. Eyes closed, everyone feels her presence, but only a single person, a luminous child, feels and sees her in all radiance: Hope,  _‘the cute!’_

From within her purity, in the lap of her father, the little girl smiles at the princess and reaches out to her, as if to caress and comfort her, as if wanting to assert to the beautiful princess, looking so much like her mother ( _‘but you’re not Mommy’_ ),  _‘to not worry, cause Uncle Key will bring you from your_   _island_   _veeeery soon, okaaay?!’_.

Emma smiles at the bright little girl who, hold by her singer parents, swings with them at the rhythm of the music, the three immersed in a wave of Light that translates into a state of peace and hope.

Passing by Snow, David and Neal, tears overflow from Emma’s eyes. She knows that her parents’ longing will be eternal but the love she feels radiating from the Charmings transcends the longing and floods her with a calm conformity.

As she approaches Henry, her dear 21 years old son, her heart almost jumps out of her chest, churning an infinite love for him. He is holding hands with Alice and Robyn, the three of them close to her Killian in the ship’s bow, almost enveloping him with their bodies…

Next to them, Henry Mills, Cinderella and Lucy, hugging and chanting the chorus, vibrate brightly with the strength of their hearts.

At the starboard, Mr. Smee, red cap in hands while rocking his plump body, also sings with emotion and tears in his eyes.

“What a beautiful, vivid and real dream!” she exclaims, overwhelmed by an infinite gratitude. Emma is dreaming, and is aware of that since when she fall asleep, after laying down in her house. Though it was still early and the sun still shone in the sky, she had felt such an inexorable urge to sleep that she had no choice but to retreat into her bedroom and lie down on her bed, while Missy and Luna, coming from their own bedroom, curled up at the foot of her bed to also take a nap.

In her dreamy state, she ponders that one of the most mysterious and intriguing states of consciousness is the dream. Usually, people lose consciousness when enter the deep waters of sleep, only to regain it as they emerge into a series of uncanny private realities. The rabbit hole between these worlds of consciousness turns out to be the  _lucid dream_ , where people become aware that they are dreaming and can influence what happens within the dream. Emma had read about this and other kinds of projection in a small booklet, almost hidden in a corner of her library, describing studies that suggest that the majority of people have had a lucid dream at some point in their life but that the experience is not common. Her particular dream is rarer still, for what she is experiencing is beyond her own consciousness, it is reality.  

The moment she begins to delve into the intricate technicalities of astral projection and lucid dreaming, is the instant that the dream ends and Emma awakens,awaking Luna and Missy in the process.

…

The hours go by but she still lies down, absorbing and processing the emotions of her reality-dream, the enormity of the historical event she witnessed by projecting her subtle body into the distant sailing ship. Emma’s thought keeps going round and round, spiraling through ethereal spaces and always coming back to him, to her Killian.

“While I’m lying here, he must be preparing for the journey across the seas in search of an unknown island. He’s probably storing food supplies, selecting the best navigation tools and instruments, picking up maps, tracing routes - even though I imagine he still does not know which route to take. I should help him,” she ponders, “but I have no idea about the geographical location of the island. Not to mention that, because it is enchanted, the coordinates may change, who could say? Or know? One fact is for sure, based on the mild temperature throughout the year, the weather here is never too hot, nor too frozen, so I would venture that I’m in a sub-tropical island surrounded by warm water currents. Maybe it is closer to the equator line than to a tropic line, because of the water temperature, I don’t know, could be South Hemisphere already or still in the North…”

“Anyway, at this right moment Killian prepares to embark on the journey that will bring us physically close, our first encounter…” she mumbles, closing her eyes in an anxious anticipation of when their bodies and souls will merge into one.

“It’s been so long”, she sighs and stretches her arms and legs under the bedspreads, “not counting the hot dreams with Killian and when I touch and pleasure myself, it’s been more than ten years, actually…”

Although she lived a happy, pleasurable and loving marriage with Bae, their relationship did not know the depths of a more intense - physical and spiritual, connection. She was very young and naive, when they got married, he was her first love and, although much older than her, he was not very experienced in sex matters either. Regardless of their inexperience, they succeeded in developing a special relationship, though more in-depth to the foundations of a friendship than of a physical love between a man and a woman that may be highly sexual and goes beyond sex.

“Such as the connection between Killian and me, I guess…” she reasons, “this beautiful, deeper, connection that goes beyond a pure physical act; beyond any orgasm release produced by hormones and that can lead to mutual comfort, safety, and caring aiming at achieving an illuminated level of a conscious love, a spiritual union…”

“I know I’m dreamy and babbling, Luna!” she starts to laugh as the cat approaches, “I know I’m still under the influence of an ecstatic expanded experience, an altered state of consciousness”, she chuckles and teases as Luna jumps on the bed and snuggles on her lap, as if to remind her of the need to assimilate and develop a kind of feline sensuality.

Caressing the kitten absently, she continues to ramble, “the truth is, deep down, I feel insecure, I feel scared by the proximity of the moment when the dream will become a concrete reality. As my physical encounter with Killian approaches, my insecurity increases. He is an extremely seductive, handsome, sexy, well-versed and experienced in the art of making love man, and me? I feel inexperienced and insecure, as simple as that…”

…

“Alright, enough of ramblings and insecurity feelings, we have a long way ahead of us; we have a job to do, little cat-girl, time to get up!” Throwing the covers and the kitten out, Emma stands up, willing to surrender, soul and body, to the world of the awake. “Where is Missy, Luna? Missy!!” she shouts and soon after she hears the cheerful and paced walk of the dog, which approaches wagging her tail with joy.

In the kitchen, Emma finds a new store of food that probably appeared magically while she slept. “Very good, very good, I am really hungry and thirsty… I thank the good god who sends me these delicious meals, the pure and crystal clear water to drink and to bath, the nutritious meals for Luna and Missy, thank you for the clothes, for the enchanted house, for the comfort, for the paradise island in the form of a heart!” Emma bows slightly, hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to her chest. “Divine Being, I bow to you: Namaste!” she smiles with gratitude.

During the meal, which consists of granola with yogurt, fruits and natural juices, Emma thinks about how the ball always starts at her court, using a sports language she learned by observing some customs of modern life. “Which means it’s my turn to reopen the communication channel and restart our heart-to-heart conversation…”

Food for the body is a fuel for the soul: she feels revived and generating more fruitful and practical reflections on the most recent events, from the moment the dream began to the moment she rose from the bed. The still vivid memories of all emotions permeate her being and propel her into the mezzanine.

“I would like to be able to really talk to Killian, I would like to vent about the lack of geographic coordinates for the island - I’m really  **lost**  in a literal sense, or how I feel insecure about my lack of a more active sex life. I would like to express my joy in witnessing the gathering of so many dear people willing to cheer us and support our journey to find each other. I would like to reveal to Killian some useful information that could help him with the planning of his trip, I just don’t know what to say…” Emma’s mind continues to wander out loud, as she browses a folder with several scores. Suddenly, a score draws her attention: “Liszt - Liebestraum No 3 in A-flat major, Love Dream.”

“Love Dream: that’s it!!!” Emma shouts with a profound happiness that reverberates in her heart. “My heart…” she repeats thoughtfully, “my heart-shaped island! Oh thank God, I think I found a useful bit of information that could help Killian! It may not be much, but may be useful, anyway. He must look for a  **heart-shaped** island!”

With much concentration, Emma studies the sheet, preparing to play it: “such a beautiful, meaningful, dreamy piece”, she mutters.

“He will love it and I hope that it will carry the sweetest dreams to him.”

“Let’s do it, woman”, she commands herself, “breath Emma, concentrate and play, pour your soul and your recent thoughts, feelings, apprehensions, emotions, and the hint of a heart-shaped island, on this song…”

 [Suite N. 3 - Opus 1 (Emma) to Suite N. 3 - Opus 2 (Killian)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dr5hZEtB7qdg&t=MjAwZWNlZGYyMDgwMGZmNzAxMDVlODY1N2JkNWQyMjdjNDU0MDNjOSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

Since the realms were unified by Regina’s new curse, transport between them is not done as before, that is, in the past, by magically opening portals and crossing them with the thought focused on the person one wanted to find, the magic used to lead directly to the person, wherever he or she was.

Nowadays, in order to get to his Emma, he will have to find the physical (and maybe enchanted) route that leads to her, but the only thing Killian has been able to find until now is a great mess of maps, sonar GPS, computer, radios, electric generators and batteries, compasses, probes, anemometer, astrolabe, squares, nautical rules, goniometer, octant, quadrant, sextant, plum - a mix of all ancient and modern nautical equipment and instruments he could muster, and none of them are indicating the path that he will have to cross. No matter how much he studies the maps in his cabin, he is not coming to any promising conclusion and the uncertainty begins to get to his nerves. In this state of confusion and fatigue caused by the search for a ‘needle in the haystack’, Killian sits on the edge of the cabin bed and runs his hand through his hair, combing (or fussing) it with his fingers.

Exasperated, he throws himself on the mattress, closes his eyes and recalls the recent events since returning from Agrabah. For him, the emotional and exciting farewells and thanks, which followed the arrival at Storybrooke, were quickly replaced by preparations for the trip. He practically jumped from one ship to the other, where he met his old mate, W. Smee, with the repairing work on the masts already completed (thanks to the help of Gepetto and his sons, Pinocchio and W. Pinocchio), and almost finishing arranging the ropes and sails on the deck of his Jolly Roger. Mr. Smee soon joined them and volunteered to help the cook, Smith, with the long list of supplies. Meanwhile, Bill Wyatt, who had just arrived from his town house, offered to help with the navigation equipment, bedding clothes and sound equipment, to which Killian has already uploaded his complete collection of albums.

“Emma, where are you?” he whispers, trying to calm down and concentrate on his heartbeat.

“Dreaming…” whispers back a feminine voice, already enveloping his mind and penetrating his heart. Under the gentle sway of the ship anchored in the harbor, an irresistible sleep embraces him, transporting him into the deep waters of a restorative dream infused with a mythic conception of the cosmos, a dream of spiritual transcendence. The sound of a piano, like crystal drums of rare purity, permeates the images with a melody of love. Multicolored, blurred images, fractured or obliterated suggest a superior reality that reaches out to his mind and carries Emma’s voices, Emma’s feelings and emotions, her apprehensions, her core… carries Emma’s “ **heart-shaped island** …”

At those words, the anthroposophical art-style images vanish all of a sudden and Killian wakes up in a snap.

Still somewhat lethargic and drowsy, he watches a parade of images and revelations that the dream has brought to him - “how much emotion,” he mutters, “how much uncertainty, how much insecurity, love… Oh Emma, my Sweet Emma, do not feel that way. You know, I’ll confide you a secret: having lived the experience of physically aging and then rejuvenating, having lived with a cursed heart for so many years, having been an old fat and disenchanted with life alcoholic, believe me, there is only fame when the subject is ‘an intensely active sex life’. Do not tell anyone, for I have a reputation to honor”, he laughs, “but the truth is that the years spent with Alice in the enchanted tower and, then, with a poisoned heart, tame this old wolf from the sea - even though he preserves his pirate persona willing to break the seven seas in search of his most precious treasure. What I most desire from the depths of my heart, love, is the serenity of a slowly progressive seduction, the sex of the deep waters where the sensual and prolonged orgasm on the plateaus of pleasure is worth more than the instantaneous and fleeting ecstasy of the orgasm lived on the peaks of mountain ranges.”

Killian’s daydreams are interrupted by someone knocking on the door. “Captain, you have a visitor, can I get her in?” asks W. Smee.

“Of course,” Killian responds, getting out of bed and brushing his clothes off with his hands. “Who is it?” he asks, pouring himself a glass of water.

Without giving time for W. Smee to respond, the ‘visitor’ opens the door slightly and stretches her neck to make only her smiling face visible to Killian…

“Queen Regina! What a good surprise! Welcome aboard Your Majesty!” Killian exclaims, bowing in a reverent greeting.

“‘Rogers’, please, no kidding with royal protocols and formalities!” Regina retorts, smiling and extending her arms to hug her good friend. “You did not think you were embarking on an epic journey without a long-overdue conversation with me, I suppose?” Regina pulls her head away from their affectionate embrace to look into his eyes.

“The idea occurred to me”, he answered, “not that I wanted - or chose it to be so, but let’s face it, ‘Roni’, you’re always too busy and away from here, completely involved in some diplomatic mission. And no one knew when you would return to Storybrooke, not even your son, or  _sons_ ”, Killian explains.

“You’re right about that,” Regina says, sitting on one of the cabin chairs. “My schedule never has predictability, I don’t even know if I can call it an agenda!” She giggles while Killian serves a glass of liquor and offers it to her, after which he also sits on another chair.

“Thanks,” she says and then asks: “Doesn’t it upset you that I’m drinking liquor next to you? I mean, I can drink tea or juice if you prefer…”

“Forget about,” he says with conviction, “there is no problem at all. It may be tempting sometimes, but not today. Besides, I really got used to not drinking alcoholic beverages - and we lived in the 2nd Enchanted Forest and Hyperion Heights for a long time in this kind of ‘setting’,” he laughs.

“Yeah…You know, despite all struggles and cursed personas, those were good times, in a way”, Regina ponders absentmindedly, “at least I had time to help a good friend in need…” and at that, she looks into his eyes again.

“And how I need your help, you have no idea!!” he nods, looking at the maps and nautical instruments scattered across the table and floor of the cabin.

“Then I got here in good time, I’d say, because help is the name of what I brought,” Regina replies, holding both of Killian’s hands: with and without glove. “But apart from helping with Magic, remember that you have and will always have in me a friendly shoulder and a pair of ears ready to listen to you carefully.”

“Thank you Regina, I could use all your offers, you know?” He responds with a shy, pensive smile. “And in case you need, you know that mine are as good shoulders as yours, and the same applies to my devilishly rapscallion pair of ‘elf’ ears”, he jokes.

“Good”, she smiles brightly, “To be honest, I think I need a friendly talk as much as you do, maybe even more than you” she confesses. “So… who will spill out first?”

“I will start”, Killian replies. “I can guess - but I’m not sure - who put you in the know and I have no idea about how far you already know but, in short…”

“The two Henrys, I heard from the two Henrys,” she interrupts him. “Each one told me a part, and by piecing them together I know that you and Princess Emma of the Wish Realm have been able to establish a channel of communication that manifests itself through the musical connection between your hearts, a kind of heart-to-heart alchemy where the message drivers are magical songs, I mean, they become magical because of the true love between you. In addition, you have communicated enough to know that she lives on an oceanic island and therefore you are preparing for a journey through the seven seas in search of an enchanted island, perhaps magically hidden, whose geographic coordinates you will still have to determine.”

“Even if I wanted to, I could not sum it all together so well, congratulations, Regina!” And Killian adds, “but your almost perfect synthesis did not include the latest information that I received just before you got here.”

“Really? And these would be…?”

“The island has the shape of a heart, the temperature there is mild throughout the year, the weather is never too hot or too cold, and there is also some more information related to a more intimate sphere of Emma, and of me…” Killian fills in reticent.

“In this case, let’s leave this part aside, for now. Later, if you feel comfortable returning to the subject, we can talk about these more delicate issues,” Regina continues diplomatically. “I think now it’s my turn to talk, so … let’s see where I can start…” she says sighing.

“I think my title of Good Queen can be a good starting point for the simple reason that it does not properly describe my actual job. In practice, Chancellor or, perhaps, Head of Diplomacy, would be more appropriate names to describe what I am, or do. Am I a Good Chancellor? I try to be; only time will tell.”

She sighs and continues, “you know, Killian, throughout my long, long life, no experience I have ever experienced has been able to give me such a deep insight into my own essence as being in the command of the United Realms. And I do not know if the word ‘command’ is the most appropriate one, either, because the design of the curse I cast was such that each kingdom still preserves its autonomy to the point where, as the transport between worlds and dimensions is now facilitated by not requiring the opening of magical portals, it is necessary to watch over the harmonious and respectful coexistence between peoples and cultures that are often totally different - and that is where I come in: to appease, to manage conflicts, to prevent villains and wizards from practicing and spreading their wickedness through the worlds… Which, considering human nature, is an exhaustive mission.”

“Where does my essence come into it? Simply: I see myself reflected in many of these evil villains and wizards. I see my own story replicated in their callousness, their lack of empathy for the suffering of others, their inconsequential insensitivity, which translates into total lack of responsibility for their actions. They teach me as if they were my past self reflected by a mirror. And to think that my story has always been closely connected to reflections and mirrors…”

“Looking back, my childhood was, I used to think, a happy one. But in fact, I was a girl spoiled by her mother. A mother who projected on her daughter her own ambitions and frustrations. A mother who was able to transform her daughter into a self-centered, egotistical child that would develop a sense of being the center of the world, perhaps of the universe. I believed that I was the only daughter of my parents, and I did not dream that I had another sister from my mother, a sister that was in fact abandoned and relegated to exile in the kingdom of Oz. Although there was a time when I was aware of the existence of Zelena, who saved my life and became my friend when we were children, due to a memory portion that my mother made me drink I forgot about Zelena’s existence. Unlike my mother, it was my father’s duty to cultivate in me a nobler humanity, but this humanity, unfortunately, became lost in a whirlwind of hatred, desires of revenge, insensitivity, and thirst to exercise power over others – that was triggered when my mother murdered my first love, Daniel. For me, my suffering was always greater and more intense than others’ suffering, and I used to project the responsibility of my faults on everybody else except me.”

“You were also a villain, you know the dark effects of hatred on the human soul and heart…” Regina says, to which Killian acquiesces. “But unlike me, you and your ‘twin brother’, each in a different path and way, learned the stages of redemption more quickly than I did. You have gone through all the stages, taking on the consequences of your bad deeds, regretting and working to repair them, feeling empathy and compassion… For me it was more difficult, because I was always more self-centered, the spoiled girl always spoke loud in me and wanted to have the last word.”

After a pause, Regina continues.

“You have not met my Robin - and I know that you have met W. Robin, who married my split version. But my Robin’s death almost cost me the trust and friendship, barely won, of my friends and family. I almost got lost again in narcissistic suffering, insensitive to the suffering of others – and most of the other’s suffering was caused by me!” she chuckles. “Do you know what finally triggered my definite redemption?” Regina asks and Killian shakes his head. “Regret, for the first time I felt a deep regret and that only happened quite recently!”

Taking another sip on her second glass of liquor, refilled by Killian, Regina continues…

“When W. Rumple died in the Wish Realm, right before his death you found me in a dungeon there, remember that?” she asks and he nods: “Aye…”

“That was the first time I ‘saw’ and ‘talked’ - in a lucid dream, with my Robin. Or with what he had become: he came to me from within my heart! That was the first time I met his soul since his death. I found out, that day, that our love had been strong enough to survive the soul-disintegration strength of  **Zeus’**  Crystal. Can you imagine such a strong love? However knowing that he was preserved, somehow, in me, that I was sort of a receptacle for the essence of what he was, was not enough for me, not at that time, not yet.”

After another sip of liquor, Regina shakes her head and continues… “Man, it’s harder than I thought to confess the next part to you, I admit, but I have to. It is connected to what I’m living, to what you and Emma are living, to what everybody everywhere is living - we are all connected, you know?” she smiles and proceeds after taking a breath.

“I have no problems with my sexuality, I never had, I mean, even when I kept my heart closed for love, I never shut myself to the physical pleasure that comes with sex; and I had - and still have, a libido that leads me to a very active sex life. In a way, meeting Robin, my Soul Mate, many years ago reopened my heart to romantic love - apart from the maternal love that I had developed with Henry. Well, this is a subject to explore more calmly another time - the psychoanalysis session you’re granting me is almost over, I promise,” to which Killian holds Regina’s hands and caresses them gently saying “do not worry about time, it’s on the house today!”

“Thank you,” she responds timidly, and continues, “Well, just commenting out, I admit that I can barely say that my ‘maternal’ love was a healthy one and the fact that my son is the biological son of a Savior must have protected him, in his childhood, from deep traumas that my Evil Queen personality might have caused in him otherwise. I thank the gods (and Archie Hooper) for sparing Henry!” She jokes with bitterness.

“Now, picking up the thread of the skein, losing Robin after having found him and having reopened my heart for romantic love left a taste of bitter in my mouth that would come back and forth and lead me to selfish, perhaps even envious attitudes. For instance, there was a time, not too far from now, that I came to think that maybe we, I mean, you and I, could develop a romantic relationship. And why not? I used to ask myself, why not a ‘Hooked Queen?’ We are both single, we are good friends and you’re a  **very handsome and sexy man** \- and you do not have to hide yourself behind this shy smile, you know that you are sexy as hell and you enjoy that  **away** too much!” she teases and smiles at him.

“The point is not that, at bottom, the point is that I did not want to admit the possibility of you finding your true love when I had lost mine, and I suspect that this is the reason for having kind of manipulated W. Henry’s feelings by telling him that I believed his mother to be dead. I told him that W. Emma, probably, should have been disintegrated in a similar way as my Robin had. In this way, I justified my fantasy to myself, I mean, that both you and I, having lost our true love, were free to date, to have lots of wild sex…” she inhales and exhales deeply.

“I’m relieved that I got it out, you know? I truly am. My pride prevented me for so long from knowing the feeling that comes from a confession, from admitting my faults and my darkest secrets  **not**   **only**  to vent about me, as you will constat in a minute… I’m glad I got to confess this one to you, finally… wow!”

“Regina, I don’t know what to say, I…”

“Then don’t say, it doesn’t matter, not anymore. This is past, I mean, this admission is a means to where I want to go. What matters is that recently, during one of my peacemaking missions, I met some people who have made me reevaluate my whole life and made me feel, for the first time, a genuine  **regret**.”

“I was in a village near the castle of my split-version, where she lives with her husband, W. Robin, and their daughter, Coralline. In fact, since I was staying at her castle, she accompanied me that day, and we went together to visit some villagers that had been attacked by a raging sorceress. What I did not expect to find out is that one of them was Roland Hood, my Robin’s son. They were all living there, I mean, the Merry Men, older, of course, some of them married and with children. That was not the case for Roland, who lived modestly - and alone, in a simple house.”

“It turned out that the raving sorceress was the Wish version of ourselves, an older and spiteful woman who, despite having retrieved the magical powers that, many years ago, the (Wish) Charmings had taken away from her, never found her happy ending.”

Pausing to absentmindedly circulate her fingers on the rim of the glass while wandering in the fields of her memory, a pensive Regina finally sighs deeply, returning from her thoughts, and continues:

“I was remembering how you took part in the event, at the 2nd Enchanted Forest, from which resulted in Zelena recovering her magic”, she tells him and he nods. “So, as you might remember, you witnessed the many gestures of love and altruism of Robyn and Zelena: after being tricked by Gothel, Robyn relinquished her magical powers - which she had never really been fond of, while Zelena, who was willing to sacrifice her own life to save Robyn’s, received in return the powers that once belonged to her daughter. In the past, for the greater Good, Zelena had sacrificed Hades’ life (and he was her true love) and, later, she gave up of her own magic. Despite her losses, all those sacrifices freed her from darkness. The way I see it, she earned an opportunity to recover the light magic with which she was born. You know, no one is inherently evil, with rare exceptions such as Cruella de Vil. In general magic is not born dark, it is corrupted by events and choices that lead the person gifted with magic to become addicted to the power that comes from it, which then darkens the magic. In that episode, at the same time that Zelena reconquered her inner light, Robyn was also freed and allowed to devote herself wholeheartedly to what really attracted her and nourished her spirit, that is, to be as fantastic an archer as her father had been.”

“That is how Zelena’s redemption unfolded. On the other hand, for her three ‘sisters’, lessons have always been harder to assimilate. The fact is that we came from a single root and, before the multiplication of worlds (Wish and non-Wish) and the division by Dr. Jekyll’s Serum, the three of us were one single person: the spoiled, self-centered girl. Therefore, the main obstacle for the three of us to recover the light magic with which we were born has always been associated with overcoming our egoism. For Split Regina and W. Robin, who also lacked to learn compassion, the opportunity came in the form of a child, the daughter they adopted, in addition to the cause they embraced: the preservation of forests and river springs - the true passion of W. Robin.

On the other hand, for Wish Regina, the freedom from villainy was more delayed than for us. Well, for me and for Split Regina redemption had not yet been completed but, at least in some stages, we had already advanced more. Fortunately, for her, the method she used to regain her magical powers helped in the purification process. During her exile, she recovered her magic by drinking a few drops from the remnants of Lake Nostos’ water preserved at Merlin’s tower, in Camelot. However, unlike what happens with pure light magic, retrieving her magic did not translate into finding a new purpose and meaning for her life. Obviously, the outcome made her bitter and lonely rather than making her happier. Not even the death of W. Snow and W. David gave her the pleasure of revenge for so long wanted; on the contrary, what remained for her was an immense emptiness. Even though the healing properties of Lake Nostos had reduced her evilness, they had not been able to eliminate her temper. Then, in the lack of having something better to do she lived to torment peasants who had never harmed her. In recent years, the only person to look at her without fear, to bring her comfort and attention, to treat her with consideration and affection was Robyn’s half-brother, the docile Roland, but her ingratitude prevented her from being completely touched and transformed by the goodness of the boy – he is still in his teens!”

“Killian, I do not know how to describe the grip I felt in my heart when I found Roland living without friends of his age, not even a crush, whilst being so compassionate and caring. He was such a special child, affectionate, intelligent, sagacious, and so loving to me but… you know what I did, in exchange, during the most difficult moment of his life? I turned my back on him and on the Merry Men - who, in the best way they could, took care of him and gave him the love I denied.”

“This situation touched me and my split version deeply because the fault of abandoning Roland, of leaving him to his own fate was ours – I mean, mine, whatever, no matter if we had split ourselves. I was then so absorbed in my suffering, at the loss of Robin, so self-centered in my own navel, that I could not remember the kind boy, losing his best friend - his father - and feeling abandoned by the woman, he believed, loved him as a son.”

“Remorse, that’s what we both felt. A deep regret… And to our surprise, when we realized that the sorceress was an alternate version of ourselves… Oh, that was too much, we did not know how to handle that at first. Even W. Regina, seeing us, didn’t know how to handle all the emotion she felt. Those were very tough moments for the three of us, those initial ones.”

“Eventually it was Roland himself who brought us the solace, who calmed us with light and funny stories from his, our, past and relieved us of the immeasurable burden of guilt that fell upon our shoulders. So, gradually, we calmed ourselves down and started to think clear, to feel more clearly what should be done.”

“To placate W. Regina’s ire was the first and easiest task that was accomplished, actually far easier than one should think, initially. She just needed some special magic ‘cosmetics’ to feel in a better mood, to feel better – which we got from a blood magic similar to the one that rejuvenated you. After that, she started to breath, for the first time, the fresh air of being given a second chance to earn happiness, to love and to be loved. Emotionally, she kind of adopted Roland as a son and they moved to a mansion, near my palace, in between Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest, from where they now coordinate various social welfare groups that bring education, health, comfort and prosperity to many villages in the United Realms. For Roland this is a unique opportunity to honor the memory of his father and to W. Regina, to gain a new chance to do Good, for a change, it represents for her a rebirth every day.”

“Split-Regina is the only one of us that is a married woman. She and her husband help as they can in the social assistance, although they devote themselves to it only part-time because of their ecological cause not to mention that now they have a lovely daughter to rise.”

“Most importantly, Roland is leading an operation to find and return to their legitimate owners all the hearts that the three of us, the three Reginas, kept in our vaults for so many years. A few fairies - W. Blue leading your and Hook’s friends from the two Neverlands, the two Tinkerbells and two Tiger Lilies, are helping Roland to locate the missing people. Even the two Novas, who now live with the two Leroys and their brothers, sometimes join and help the searching team. That is a really challenging task and will require a lot of time and catharsis to be concluded. The process is very painful for the three of us because it brings to light many crimes we committed, such as the murder of Roland’s mother, Marian (actually, thanks to time travel, murdered twice: by me and by Zelena)…”

“Despite the guilt and regret that weigh on us, Roland’s generous heart has forgiven us. In this process, not all hearts in the vaults can find the destination we would like. Some hearts went out without ever returning to the chest of their owners because they died of natural death first. Some of them we smashed to dust in cold blood, as it were the case for the two Huntsmen, Graham Humbert and his counterpart in the Wish Realm. In any case, even if we cannot reverse all evil done, we are cleaning up our past in the best way we can and trying to live a cleaner present.”

“As for me, since meeting Roland, I have had more mystical encounters with my Robin, who appears to me in dreams. We talk, we laugh and, more recently, in a new development - and now it comes another confession, we kind of make love: an act of spiritual love that I could never describe with words not even would have imagined to be possible given my experience with a more carnal sex. Those are our private moments of meditation immersed in a serene, quiet, ethereal peace…”

“And as for the ‘three Reginas’, we have weekly meetings - one ‘girls’ night’, of which we don’t give up except for an exceptional reason. In these periodic meetings we laugh about ourselves, we drink, we talk about life, we joke about life, and we plan the good we have to do in order to redeem ourselves, really redeem ourselves. By the way, tonight we’ll meet again. Be assured that we will discuss in depth the ways to help you and Emma – magically - on your journey. Therefore, my dear friend, wait for a ‘magic aid’ before setting sail to find your true love, your Emma. I only ask you one night. Tomorrow, by the early morning, I will send you what you need, I promise”.

A deep silence follows Regina’s confessions.

Killian, without words to express his emotions, radiates them through his brilliant blue eyes. After a long pause he finally says:

“Regina, you’re really wrong in one of the statements you made. You  **are**  a Good Queen; the three of you are  **the** Good Queen, though you are the only one to bear the title. You form an abstract entity that will be remembered as the mythological and legendary Good Queen, whose goodness was distributed into three physical bodies in order to be able to overflow and stream her love through all United Realms.”

New pause, and he continues, “I’m deeply touched by your kindness, ‘Your Majesty’, and for that I really thank you. Thank you, my good friend. May the good winds take you to your meeting tonight, then bring your magic help to me, as well as carry me to my true love”, Killian smiles fondly.

At that, both get up, embrace tightly for one more time and walk to the deck of the ship, where they say goodbye.

During the night, Killian and the other four sailors complete their travel arrangements and go to sleep, already accommodated in their quarters in the ship, waiting for the dawn to bring - as it does with the first sunshine rays - Regina’s aid: an ark and an envelope deposited on the deck.

Opening the ark, Killian finds three objects: a gramophone, a flower pot, and a small jewelry box. In the envelope, there is a note that reads:

**To everything there are different levels of explanation, which we study with different tools and in different contexts. How much of reality can be explained by materialist sciences, and how much by spiritualist ones, or by magic? Is reality, ultimately, what can be revealed at the fundamental level of atoms?**

**During my stay in Hyperion Heights, once I read a book, written by Bill Bryson, who said: “Energy is liberated matter; matter is energy waiting to happen”. To that, I would add: “Love Matters”.**

**Go find your True Love, Killian, make it happen, take with you these three gifts from the three Reginas and bring your Emma Sweet back with you. Our gifts are:**

**1.**    **A heart-shaped ruby, which will shine the moment you take the right direction.**

 **2.**    **A gramophone, which will play the right songs in the right ‘way’ and in the right moments.**

 **3.**    **Flower buds, which will bloom when the right people appear on your path.**

 **Stay safe and good luck! Sincerely, Regina(s)**.

Opening the small box, Killian finds the heart-shaped ruby and points it to all quadrants in the sky, North, East, West and South. When the ruby starts to spark, he points it more firmly, as in a fine alignment with the right direction, and the red light that comes out of the magic jewel shines and illuminates the ship and his heart. At the top of his lungs, Captain Killian Jones then shouts excitedly:

“W. Smee, Mr. Smee, Kevin, Bill! At your posts, raise anchor, hoist sails, and may the good winds take us South!” To her captain’s voice, whose heart overflows with gratitude (to the three Reginas), hope (of success) and love (for his Sweet Emma), the beautiful Jolly Roger begins to sail towards the high sea.

From the gramophone, at this moment, female voices start to sing one more song of the Sweet Suite - the three Reginas’ chorus propels and moves the ship to her destination:

[Suite N. 3 - Opus 2 (Killian) to Suite N. 4 - Opus 1 (Emma)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DqeMFqkcPYcg&t=ZGU4NTQyNDNmZTNkZmZkOTRlYTg4MTNhOTNkZmI2YjZmODQzNTA5MCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

The day dawned dazzling. Emma does not remember a dawn so beautiful, so full of promises brought by the beaming sunshine rays. She walks along the edge of the island leaving in her footprints, as she walks barefoot on the white sands, the island’s heart contour. While walks Emma realizes for the first time that she has no longer made use of the magic mirror to witness, from a distance, life being lived by others. In fact, since the Sweet Suite began to be played, she went on to replace ‘watch’ with ‘live’. Life has pulsed stronger in her, she has moved from being a passive audience to being on the stage, alive and active, assuming the leading role of her own life.

In practical terms, the dynamics at the house and of her life in the island, as a whole, have not changed, that is, what she needs for her daily life continues to appear magically, it is enough to sing or play a song in deep concentration from time to time. However, in addition to her routine, new signs that her magic power is expanding and revealing itself in new facets have emerged more recently. The first of them was the throbbing in her hands propelling her to try to move objects from one place to another. The first attempts were unsuccessful, but today, upon waking, she was able to transport the gardening tools to the garden, where she took care, for a little while, of the rosebush. After her walk along the beach and a juicy breakfast, she plans to return to the roses. More than a hobby, as it used to be when she lived in the Wish Realm, Emma discovered on the island that working with flowers is a therapeutic activity, “floral therapy”, as she calls it.

As a bonus, to her pleasant surprise this morning, the garden also has become a space for magic practice!! She feels insecure to puff herself from one place to another though, such as in those puffs she has watched so many other people demonstrating with easy… “Better not try, too risky. I’m afraid puffing of people still is at a more advanced level for me to try alone, without supervision,” she concludes, “but would I be able to transport small objects to more distant places… to my Killian, for instance? Perhaps send them to the Jolly Rogers?” she wonders. “I wish I could, who knows, somehow impregnate the Jolly Roger with a kind of weather protection spell to ensure her a quiet, storm-free, rough seas-free ocean crossing…”

Through the visions in her more recent dream right before she awakened in the morning, under the pulse of a strong musical beating that propelled the Jolly Roger to the high seas, she knows that Killian is already sailing. She knows that he is not only sailing but is in the right track. She knows that he counts with the help of a crew that is small but very experienced in dealing with the Jolly Roger, a ship built with enchanted wood.

What matters the most is that she knows he’s coming.

“It’s happening!!” she exclaims excitedly, turning an anxious sight to the sea.

Missy then runs past her, jumping, barking, and wagging her tail merrily. “Good morning Missy! Hey!” she stops walking when the dog jumps excitedly on her, “how much joy, girl! You bark so little but I love it when you do it that way, playfully and fancifully, my adorable, cute Missy!” Emma bends down, smiling, to stroke her dog. “Where is Luna, didn’t she come too? Hmm, needless to say, I know she must still be taking a little nap on her pillow, like every good cat…”

“You’re hungry, Missy? I’m starving, and I bet Luna is too, only too lazy to get around the island before the morning meal! So… let’s see where we are,” Emma looks at the footprints to determine in what part of the ‘heart’ they are. “Hmm, we’re in the middle, which means that it doesn’t matter if we return by the path we have already walked or if we move forward, completing the ‘drawing’ - the distance is the same. Let’s draw the whole heart, don’t you think, my little friend?” she asks Missy, absently. “What’s a heart worth in half, isn’t it?”

Emma and Missy return home, getting in from the laundry room, where Emma wipes her feet and pulls on a pair of slippers. In the kitchen they find Luna stretching her legs, in preparation for the bowl of milk and cat food, that Emma prepares soon and, next, does the same for Missy - but for Missy the ration is for dogs and the drink is water.

For her breakfast she feels the need of being a bit more elaborate this morning because the walk has whetted her appetite, so it requires the addition of toast with jelly and scrambled eggs to the already traditional bowl of granola with yogurt, orange juice and fruit salad. Also because of the walk, Emma refreshes herself with a hot shower and decides to read a little before working in the garden.

In the mezzanine, among the magazines stored in one of the desk drawers, she finds one, which she has not read for a long time, about floral therapy. “Exactly what I need,” she says, and starts flipping through the articles as soon as she gets to the porch.

**"‘Flower Therapy’ is the art of working with flowers, flower essences and angels for healing, manifestation and abundance. With flowers as your allies, your dreams really can come true, and you’ll see that nature truly has the ability to heal!"**

…

**"Roses appear in accounts from all of the world’s major religions as a symbol of miraculous love at work in the world. Roses symbolize eternal love in stories where gods interact with each other and human beings. There are people that use roses as decorations to represent their hearts. Others view roses as symbols of the human soul, so smelling the scent of roses reminds them of their spirituality. Some see roses and other flowers as expressions of spiritual joy. In some traditions roses are reminders of the Garden of Eden, a paradise in a world that reflected God’s design before sin corrupted it."**

…

**"People regularly report smelling the fragrance of roses while communicating with angels in prayer or meditation. Angels use rose scents as physical signs of their spiritual presence with people because roses have powerful energy fields that vibrate at a high electrical frequency—the highest of any flower on Earth. Because angelic energy also vibrates at a high rate, angels can connect easier with roses than with other flowers that have lower vibrational rates. Rose essential oil vibrates at a rate of 320 megahertz of electrical energy."**

…

The morning hours pass lazily with the back and forth of the swing and the sound of the waves without Emma realizing it, now immersed in reading about flowers, now contemplative and dreamy before the blue immensity. To bring her back to reality, and perhaps to remind her of lunch’s proximity, Luna and Missy join her on the porch. Luna jumps in the swing, snuggling into her lap, as Missy slumbers sleepily near the steps of the threshold.

“And there they are, Luna and Missy, my faithful companions, my animal fairies…” Emma greets them gently, “my two lovely flowers:  **L** una plus M **i** ss **y** with an  **L** … in between and, tchan… there comes a synthesis of  _Lily_ …!”

The moment she calls the flower name, as if by an enchantment, she passes the page of the magazine and is faced with a new session… about Lilies!!

**"LILIES: RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL MEANINGS, TYPES, HOW TO CARE?"**

…

**"Lilies, from the Liliaceae family, have an intoxicating scent and a distinctive and lush shape."**

…

**"Lilies symbolize innocence, celestial purity and virginity. It is the flower of sublime love, though by the phallic aspect, the flower is also related to eroticism, sexuality and temptation of the passions."**

…

**"In eastern cultures, lilies symbolize summer, abundance and eternal love. For some religions, lilies have a symbol of surrender to the grace of God, to divine providence. For royalty and nobility, the lily is a symbol of prosperity, sovereignty, power, honor, loyalty. It is a myth used in several coats of arms."**

…

**"The scent of lilies is intoxicating and contains endorphins, which ensures well-being and happiness. The lily is considered the flower of joy, prosperity."**

…

**"White and lilac lilies: indicate matrimony, innocence and motherhood."**

…

“‘ **L** ’ words: Lilac Lilies…Love…” she whispers.

At that, Luna moves in her lap, jumping to the ground to wake up Missy, who awakens quickly and turns her curious eyes to Emma.

“Okay, girls, another  **L**  word,  **Lunch**  time!” Emma sums up, also getting up and taking with her, in addition to the magazine she had brought, a lot of new thoughts about flowers, scents, angels, fairies and dreams.

“Today is therapy day!” Emma declares, in a good mood, entering the kitchen, “what do we have here?” she wonders, looking for ingredients in the cabinets and in the refrigerator. Emma came to know electricity on the island. She never really understood how the generation of electricity works there, but she guesses it comes from solar panels located on the back of the roof. “I’m sure Killian would understand it all quite well and would explain in details how this technology works”, she ruminates. “Well, I may not understand how technology does its magic, but at least of one thing I’m sure, here on the island it is better to rely on the energy that comes from the sun, a constant throughout the year, than from the wind, since the winds are gentle, light breezes, strong enough to just refresh the environment”.

“Anyway, back to cooking! Here they are, fresh vegetables, olive oil and rice - that will do for today. They will be transformed into a frugal meal but the very process of cooking them will help me in nourishing my psychological well-being whilst linking my mental health to nutrition. Seriously, no kidding, when I think about it, I see that it has been really easier to control the quality of my diet since I prepare much of the food. I thank the Olympus Gods for allowing me to practice activities that play a major role in keeping my body and brain healthy.” And, then, she proceeds to preparing the meal.

One of Emma’s favorite ways to unwind is by slicing and dicing vegetables. The steady chop-chop of the knife against the cutting board quiets her mind and soothes her soul. For her, cooking has been a meditation with the promise of a good meal afterward. “I just wish I could share the delicious dishes I prepare with more people, with Killian and Henry, also Alice and Robyn, mainly, at least…” she mutters.

After lunch, with the intensity of the outside heat and the sunlight shining at the zenith, Emma decides to not return to the garden, "maybe later,” she ponders, “it’s better to enjoy a cool shadow from the porch. I could paint a little… Even though, of the many arts I practice, painting is not my forte, today I am feeling exceptionally inspired. Perhaps from this special energy will come out a beautiful picture to adorn this house or, hopefully, my future home”, she concludes, filled with intense hope, as she climbs to the mezzanine to pick up the easel, a canvas, paint brushes and paints. Just in case, she also takes with her, for boosting her inspiration, an old book, that she hasn’t read yet, stored next to the painting material: Cicely Mary Barker’s  _Flower Fairies_.

…

For Emma, painting is a help to explore her emotions, to improve (“just a little bit”) her self-esteem (“for at least having tried”) and to relieve stress and anxiety (“especially during my periods, such as today”). She is quite aware of her lack of a more artistic talent with a canvas, but she also knows that the process is not about the artistic value of her work, but rather about finding associations between her creative choices and her inner life. Right now, after almost three hours, when only a detailed and well-crafted circular image of dancing musical notes is coming out on the canvas, she wonders how  **that**  artwork could be used as a springboard for doing a noble job, such as to reawaken memories or reveal messages and beliefs from her unconscious mind.

In the midst of these dilemmas, at a glance, she sees the book lying on the swing: a book calling for her attention - promptly received. Putting the paints aside Emma sits down a little for whipping the book. She opens it randomly in a poem whose words carry her into a surreal vision of a magic world.

A silence follows, during which Emma’s mind floats as if dancing at a fairy ball where all fairies are dressed in lilac. She feels as if talking animatedly with them. She sees herself with wings, like those of an angel, flying among the small shimmering creatures, which, when flying, echo small bells from which sparkling, lilac-colored, fairy dust comes out.

One of the fairies whispers in her ear the teaching of how to protect the Jolly Roger with magic: “it is quite simple, actually. All you have to do is read the verses from the book, as a spell, and proceed to play and sing a song - you will know which one, by heart: the easel, canvas, paint brushes and paints will be then magically transported to the Jolly Roger. Leave the rest with us and… with him!” she assures, smiling.

Awakening from her trance Emma goes to the mezzanine carrying the book, already open in the right page. Once there, she reads slowly and rhythmically the poem ‘The Lily-of-the-Valley Fairy’:

 **"Gentle fairies, hush your singing:  
** **Can you hear my white bells ringing,**  
 **Ringing as from far away?**  
 **Who can tell me what they say?**  
 **Little snowy bells out-springing**  
 **From the stem and softly ringing**  
 **Tell they of a country where**  
 **Everything is good and fair?**  
 **Lovely, lovely things for L!**  
 **Lilac, Lavender as well;**  
 **And, more sweet than rhyming tells,**  
 **Lily-of-the-Valley’s bells…"**

Closing the book, she sees on the mirror, before her, the image of Killian mumbling about her with affection but also with apprehension, as if worried. She stretches out her arms trying to reach for him, to touch him, to reassure him, to protect him.

“Killian,” she dives into the immensity of his blue eyes, “know that I’m safe. As for you, please, be safe too. Be careful in your way to me, my love. I feel…” she pauses before continuing, “you see, I’ve been feeling so much that sometimes I forget that there are words that need to be said: though known, they need to be heard. They convey the energy of what they represent, like the scent of roses symbolizes the ‘L’ word. So, then... let’s repair that,” she pauses, smiles, inhales deeply and says: “I love you…”

A hypnotic trance brings then a clear sensation of seeing Killian looking at her, immersing himself into the green waters pouring from her eyes - a face-to-face of two enamored souls. For the first time they actually look at each other’s soul and, although their bodies can not touch each other, their souls can and they do so like two kissing lips, two enraptured bodies making love. Successive waves of love and sweet pleasure run gently through Emma and lead her to sit at the piano.

Closing her eyes, a new wave prompts her to declare with a trembling voice, "This song is to record the first time I reached for your face and, then, I saw you, I touched you and was touched by you".

Her heart is filled with abundant peace and love. As she starts to play and sing, in the porch the energy of her flowery wondering together with all painting material gradually submerge into an ethereal cloud until disappearing completely…

[Suite N. 4 - Opus 1 (Emma) to Suite N. 4 - Opus 2 (Killian)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkvFYDCsvY8)

_The day was one of intense physical activity. The hearty ruby, like a guiding star, radiated its red light throughout the whole day, though at times it was difficult to maintain the high intensity of its brilliance. That was because the route it was tracing was highly nonlinear - sometimes Killian had the impression that the enchanted jewelry was drawing a path with spiraled geometric shapes. Therefore, aligning the helm and the sails with the ruby glow and with the wind directions kept the entire crew occupied for most of the day._

_They made only a couple of short pauses to rest and to savor the meals prepared by Smith but, despite their hard work, fatigue did not overwhelm them and their mood was kept in a light vibe, particularly because of the music that came out from the captain’s cabin and echoed throughout the ship – thanks to the speakers installed all over the deck by Bill. Sometimes they sang along, laughing happily, sometimes they just hummed alone, but the top moment was when Pink Floyd’s song, ‘Wish you were here’, began to sound from the speakers. With Killian holding the helm firmly as the Jolly Roger hit the seas at a speed that only enchanted ships reach, the five men worked in sync intoning together, with their happy voices, the not so happy but challenging and encouraging lyrics:_  

 _ **"So, so you think you can tell**_  
 _ **Heaven from Hell**_  
 _ **Blue skies from pain**_  
 _ **Can you tell a green field**_  
 _ **From a cold steel rail?**_  
 _ **A smile from a veil?**_  
 _ **Do you think you can tell?**_  
  
 _ **Did they get you to trade**_  
 _ **Your heroes for ghosts?**_  
 _ **Hot ashes for trees?**_  
 _ **Hot air for a cool breeze?**_  
 _ **Cold comfort for change?**_  
 _ **Did you exchange**_  
 _ **A walk on part in the war**_  
 _ **For a lead role in a cage?**_  
  
 _ **How I wish**_  
 _ **How I wish you were here**_  
 _ **We’re just two lost souls**_  
 _ **Swimming in a fish bowl**_  
 _ **Year after year**_  
 _ **Running over the same old ground**_  
 _ **What have we found?**_  
 _ **The same old fears**_  
 _ **Wish you were here…"**_  
  
…

_For Killian, like in old times of Captain Jones (and Captain Hook), the Jolly Roger soon became again an easily maneuverable ship, although initially he struggled a bit to catch the wind when the ship was sailing downwind. Nevertheless, most of time, the sailing was essentially an airplane wing standing on end. Like a muscle’s memory process, his brain remembered quite quickly how to properly adjust and position the sail’s leading edge and points it into the wind, creating higher pressure on the windward side and lower pressure on the leeward side._

_..._

And so, after a busy productive day in terms of crossed distance (“How far do we still have to go?” he wonders), the winds that came with the beginning of the night, as if giving the sailors a rest, are blowing more smoothly. Bill and Smith have called it a day for a while and the last on the helm, W. Smee, has just retired to his quarters. Killian has taken over the helm while the next on shift, Mr. Smee, is taking a nap.

…

“Today was a good day”, from his command post at the wheel Killian mumbles while watching the crescent moon as well as the heavy clouds that are forming on the horizon. He watches them with growing concern, “my concern is growing faster than the moon’s phase – which means that wild winds might come…” he fears.

…

“Captain!” shouts Mr. Smee, arriving at the helm, “I can take the post if you wish.”

“Thank you mate, but I don’t know if we should proceed full speed overnight; at least as long as the clouds in the South continue to signal the approach of a storm in that direction.”

Killian points the ruby to the South and continues “See?  A storm forming right in the direction the ruby is pointing to… You know, I have brought a number of modern navigation equipment but, in practice, I realize that the best ‘tools’ for me are still my guts. And they tell me that, maybe, we should not go there at night, even though I do not like the idea of having to stray from the route.”

“Aye, you might be quite right, Sir, I can also sense - from a specific kind of callous itch - stormy winds approaching… We’d rather stabilize the ship and give it a rest. Besides, the Jolly worked really well during the day, our girl deserves a calmer night, and by tomorrow we might know better how the storm has evolved, and to where. Now do not worry if it catches up with us, we’re prepared to face a storm with relative ease,” Mr. Smee reassures him.

“Sure, mate, a storm might be good to test our reflexes – just like in those old days… how many Homeric ones we faced then, haven’t we? No matter if it was in this Jolly Roger, or in the other, I guess,” Killian replies longingly.

“This is our life, isn’t, Captain?” Mr. Smee laughs. “And then, look at us now, having to call another Smee as ‘W. Smee’ to differentiate him from me, being able to sail two equal ships named Jolly Roger, under the command of two identical Captain Jones…”

“…both madly in love with ‘physically identical twin sisters’ named Emma", Killian completes pensive.

“Captain, I beg your pardon but, knowing women as I do, I’d better say two most likely completely different women named Emma…” he chuckles, and continues more seriously, “but we will find yours, Sir, we will bring her home with us, you can be sure of that!” Mr. Smee concludes with firmness.

“Thank you, my friend. I know this is a high-risk mission, given its nature and degree of uncertainty, but I could not imagine a more loyal and competent crew capable of accompanying me on this journey”, Killian smiles hopefully but, somehow, melancholically. “Now, go back to sleep, Mr. Smee, I’m not sleepy, I’m going to stay out here for a while, watching the clouds, closing the sails and dreaming of my Emma…”

“Night, Captain, nice ‘dreams’…”

…

Alone on the deck, Killian leans against one of the masts, trying to calm his breathing and at the same time to not worry about a possible bad weather in the indeterminate path that leads to his Emma who, perhaps, hopefully, is now also thinking on him.

“Are you preparing a song for me tonight, Emma?” He asks, staring at the moon. “How many storms will we have to face before we can meet?” he continues questioning  and looking at the sky.

Killian is emotional tonight. The adrenaline and testosterone of the day are gradually melting, turning into a subtle vibration. He does not know if he attributes the ethereal aura that surrounds him to thinking about her, but thinking about her is all he can do right now. Just imagining how Emma would have passed the day arouses an almost uncontrollable desire to be at her side, to protect her against the perils of the night, against the storms… Although Aladdin has ensured that the place created for her to stay has been set up with abundant resources, safety and a cozy comfort, not knowing how she handles loneliness, the intrinsic isolation of an island life, sometimes squeezes his heart and brings a desire to cry that is almost irresistible.

The night silence is permeated by the rhythmic splash of the ocean in the hull of the Jolly Roger - woosh... woosh... woosh… Killian's thought wanders through the stars when subtle energies slowly circulate his body until touching it. When, at last, the wave of emotions finds the path that leads to his eyes, it directs them to a part of the firmament upon which Emma’s face, looking lovingly at him, is projected. Moved by an impulse, Killian reaches out to touch her, trying to pull her from the sky and bring her down beside him. The feeling of seeing her and being seen by her for the first time is indescribable. The meeting of glances is mesmerizing and the sight of two hypnotizing emeralds gleaming like two light outbreaks opens up the way for waves of pleasure to travel through his body and soul, enveloping him with the unconditional love emanated by Emma.

When the vision begins to dissipate, the two tears that stubbornly tried to fall from his eyes finally flow freely as Killian closes them, muttering, in a restrained sob that blends sweetness and longing, the magic words as if replying to her own words: “I love you too…”

At that, he slowly reopens his eyes, just in time to see materializing before him an easel and a canvas with an unfinished painting. Next, he sees the paint brushes and paints appearing, which he examines with interest, feeling the presence of Emma in all objects.

The next to appear is the gramophone, magically transported from his cabin. However, instead of playing a song, it starts to vaporize in the air ethereal roses of all colors and fragrances. The strong, sweet scent of the roses brings to his mind the powerful sweetness of love, which he associates to the presence of Emma. In this miraculous encounter with her angelic essence, Killian feels himself bathed in fragrances that seem to exist just to celebrate the sacredness of their Love.

In this state, with the soul enraptured by a divine inspiration, he takes from the brushes and starts to paint, slowly completing the image on the canvas. Killian has always been a skillful, observant and talented painter. Of all arts, painting is perhaps the best channel through which he expresses his emotions, and tonight the image that floods his eyes is that of a flower against a dreamy background translating sensual pleasure and love: a lilac water lily of deep beauty from which the musical notes, already painted, sprout with elegant delicacy.

As the painting is getting ready, small shiny lilac fairies descend from the sky flying over the Jolly Roger, sprinkling shimmering lilac fairy dust all over the ship, from the masts to the sails, ropes, floor and woodwork.

One of the fairies then whispers in his ears “the journey to your true love is protected by the Gods” and, with these words, the little fairies disappear - though the painted canvas and the roses brought by the gramophone remain on deck - leaving only a sound of tiny little bells ringing.

As he looks towards South, Killian notices, deeply relieved, that the heavy clouds have dissipated and the storm is backing up quietly.

Feeling physically and spiritually touched, an emotional Killian collects the paint material, the petals of rose spread all over the floor and, if he could, he would bottle their perfume loose in the air. “Perhaps from these petals I can extract an essential oil to present to Emma when we meet, I think that is reasonably possible… I’ll try that anyway”, he plans.

Tears of gratitude do not stop flowing from his eyes, as if her angelic essence had invaded him, cleansing and washing his soul, making the dam overflow. “My sweet angel, my Emma, I love you so much…”  he sobs gently and goes down to his cabin in two comings and goings, collecting the gramophone, the petals, the easel with the canvas, the paints and brushes, and the heart-shaped ruby, which he holds in his coat pocket. “Tomorrow we restart the journey”, he says, “a journey blessed by the Gods!” he smiles. “For now the moment is for all of us to sleep, is for me to dream of you, my Emma, my angel, wishing sweet dreams to you…”

After a quick bath and before lying down, Killian searches, in his playlist, the song that he feels the need to sing tonight, as a ‘thank you’ for the protection spell. He hopes the song will fly his heart to her island, carried by the wings of her angelic presence with him tonight. When he finds the song, he closes his wet eyes, and still deeply touched starts to sing along…

[Suite N. 4 - Opus 2 (Killian) to Suite N. 5 - Opus 1 (Emma)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTQTxzV7jUU)

During the three days that followed her meeting with the fairies, Emma has been busy cleaning all over the house, arranging what was scattered, washing the dirty laundry that was already accumulating, ironing her clothes then folding and putting them in chests. Without realizing it initially, she finally gets the meaning of what she is doing: preparing for the next major change.

In perspective, she can locate a couple of major and minor changes in her life. Her first ball…Marrying Bae…Henry’s birth was a big one. Being magically transported to the island - “that was huge”…

Contrary to what could seem, minor changes have always occurred in her island life. Indeed, in the early years on the island she used to spend hours in embroidery and sewing. In this way, she sewed and embroidered beautiful towels, curtains, sheets, bedspreads, napkins and handkerchiefs. So many that, at last, she decided to stop because she did not know what she would do with all of them, or if she would live enough to use them at all. And they are a lot, not to mention the dresses that she designed and sewed whose style, with the passage of time, changed gradually, being adapted in accordance with the fashion followed by the women she saw through the magic mirror. Even so, she still treasures her loose and light, long and mid length, dresses - her modern customized ‘Wish Emma look’. Now, seeing them all folded in packages, she wonders if she could – or should - take them all with her.

“I don’t want to impose, but if the Jolly Roger could handle the weight and volume I’d like to take the whole house with all that’s inside!” she jokes. “Perhaps I could magically shrink it… I’ve seen people doing that: that is it! that is a plan!” she completes exalted.

Deep down, her frenetic activity has a more practical function: to distract her from the uneasy knots in her stomach that she feels each time she thinks about what is to come. Every time she thinks of the future she is assaulted by doubts she didn’t know existed. In the overall picture the feelings of fear hold particularly true for a very basic question: “what if I do not deserve such grace?”

And the primary question soon evolves to: “What if my apparent angelic sweetness, as Killian feels and sees, conceals a fraud, what if it is the mask behind which some demons still hide?”

Deep down, despite knowing what to do, she has been delaying the beginning of the most important task: the cleaning of her soul. But now, three days after starting the house cleaning, she is aware of the main ‘house’ that is requiring attention - even though she would give everything to find a new excuse to procrastinate a little more the toughest confrontation. “I just need a small push…” she explains.

As if listening to Emma’s request, Luna begins to walk through her long white legs, brushing them in a back and forth motion, stretching the body, mewing and giving little bites at Emma’s feet.

“Ouch!” Emma reacts. “Right. I see you, milady! Your command is an order!” She bends down to pick up the kitten, looking right into her eyes as if to seek the answers to all her doubts and insecurities. “Where do I start, Luna? Can you tell me, huh?”

Luna jumps on the floor and walks resolutely to the kitchen, climbing on the counter where the fruit bowl is full of red apples.

“Regina,” Emma quickly realizes, “I knew it! Deep down, I knew that I should begin with the ‘Good Queen’…” Emma comments sarcastically as Luna lies down on the bench. Sighing resignedly, she continues, “but the point is, to even slightly think of her brings up so much pain, and anger… I know, I know, it’s all in the past, I need to move on, I know… but, how do I do that?”

Frustrated, Emma grabs an apple and decides to walk through the trees of the island. In fact, in addition to the house - located at the tip of the ‘heart’, to the flower bed and a small garden of teas and herbs - in the backyard, and to the white sands - all around the coast outline, the small island is a flat platoon filled with coconut palms and other tropical trees, some of them being fruit trees.

She feels so irritated that she does not even bother putting on a pair of sandals, “maybe it’s even better to walk barefoot, to dump this negative energy into the earth…” she ponders already into the woods.

As she walks, flakes of heavy clouds appear in the sky, slowly covering the island with stretches of shadow interspersed with stretches of sun. The rain that falls is fleeting and refreshing, as are usually the local rains. Initially, Emma tries to protect herself from the rain by rushing for the sunniest areas or to the many shadows of treetops, but soon she gives up and prefers to bathe in the shower falling from the skies.

As soon as the rain is over, she ponders whether to go home immediately, to change, or to continue further walking, and in this case, the question is whether she goes in wet clothing or naked. The temperature is pleasant then she opts for the third alternative, leaving the wet clothes drying in the bamboo tubes that pass nearby. The flat ground of the island does not allow the presence of flowing waters, as a river, although at its center there is a mine through which a very fine mineral water sprouts. By the kindness of the house’s ‘mysterious architect’, a bamboo water collection system pumps and feeds the house water system, which (“obviously”) is totally independent of the septic tank system.

Emma walks alone, in a straight line, until the seashore, standing in the division between the two lobes of the heart, the two sides of the whole, where she feels the soft breeze rippling her loose hair and caressing her naked body.

“The heart is the first organ to form during the development of the body”, she says out loud, looking at the horizon. After a pause to breathe slowly, she continues, as if talking to mythical beings – mermaids, Nereids – the sea nymphs, even Poseidon with his son Triton and daughter Ursula, in person:

“I’ve read somewhere that an embryo is made up of only a very few cells, each cell can get the nutrients it needs directly from its surroundings. But as the cells divide and multiply to form a growing ball, it soon becomes impossible for nutrients to reach all the cells efficiently without help. The cells also produce waste that they need to get rid of. So the blood and circulatory system, powered by the heart, together, form the first organ system to develop. They are essential to carry nutrients and waste around the embryo to keep its cells alive. The Heart is the very core of Life, carrying out the vital job of pumping blood around our body. In realms with Magic, it is possible to reach for another part of the Heart, the one that carries our divine essence by being the bridge that connects our physical body to our spiritual body. Thus, people born with special magic are able to extract from the chest and return to the chest this essential part of the Heart, where Free Will resides.”

“In this context, with all due respect you deserve, I have a few questions for you. Who among you, divinities and deities that inhabit the Seas, is capable of answering: What does justify that a woman, in the exercise of the magic powers with which she was bestowed, may keep under her not consented guard, with selfish ends of domination and despotism, a collection of that part of the heart that shelters the souls of others, subtracting their freedom and their right of choice?”

“What absence of a deeper knowledge justifies her lack of compassion? What cruel pragmatism justifies this woman to try and reach an end - whose validity does not enter into this question – by using and abusing of magical means for reducing to dust the hearts of two beings that have never ever done any harm to her? And she does that in cold blood, insensible to their fear and despair,  **visibly stamped on their faces** \- her defenseless victims - that, for her, are not ‘REAL’ people?”

“How do you justify that this woman, without ever having researched about it, without any theoretical or practical reference, can tell a young man that his mother is very possibly dead and then proceed to try to replace his mother on his heart? I remember that said ‘dead’ woman is alive, conscious, and healthy and talking to you from this enchanted island.”

“So please, I beg you to explain to me, how can the daughter of those beings, murdered in cold blood in front of the boy, forgive this woman?”

“I do not bring here any questions about other injustices that upset me, such as the Split-Evil Queen’s wish that sent me to this island, in the first place. I do not ask you to explain the motives that lead innocent human beings, such as young Liam and Killian Jones, to be sold by their father as slaves, neither another villain, Rumpelstiltskin, to commit so many atrocities, such as to condemn a soul that was close to moving on to Heaven, to perish eternally in the river of Lost Souls. I will not ask you to explain the absurdity of allowing Milah’s soul, thanks to Rumple’s betrayal, to be condemned to such an unfortunate fate - without anyone ever knowing about that, especially Killian. Nor am I going to ask about other injustices I witnessed in the Underworld, like the same tragic fate of Dorothy’s aunt, Em. It is not for me to question about them, but at least I am venting, because that was also choked in my throat.”

“My questions are about Regina, whom they now call ‘Good Queen’. My ultimate question is how to develop, in me, true forgiveness, based on true understanding? Rationally, theoretically, I know that the way to free myself from this pain is through forgiveness. But how do I learn to accept so many injustices and, finally, get to live fully and viscerally the true forgiveness?”

To Emma’s questions, the answers are the eternal movement of the sea and the sound of the waves kissing the sands, in an infinite coming and going. With open arms and closed eyes, Emma breathes, in and out, slowly and deeply, the breeze that blows. Kneeling on the sands, with the head lowered, she cries in silence. Calmness permeates her soul, tired of purging her demons, and a sense of cleansing and clarity envelops her without her being able to rationally process what she is feeling. Standing up, she walks to the sea and dives into the still warm waters, although the night, with the sun already low in the sky, approaches and brings with it a cooler breeze.

Because of the cold, Emma comes out of the water and goes back home running along the same straight axis that crosses the island. She pasts the source of pure water to quench her thirst and pick up her clothes - a little drier but still wet, and continues to run, naked body and soul, to the house. At home, she prepares an immersion bath with salts, herbs and essential oils, lies down in the tub and stays there, relaxed and dreamy with closed eyes, until the water begins to cool.

The night falls calmly on the island while Emma, Luna and Missy enjoy a dinner showered with silence and circumspection. Missy soon retires for the second room of the house, but Emma, sleepless, sits down on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Her distant gaze, dancing with the reflection of the flames, returns to earth as Luna approaches and snuggles into an armchair, watchful companion during Emma’s incursions into the spirit world.

“Emma!” A familiar, soft, distant voice echoes through the house from the mezzanine.

“Princess Emma!” The feminine voice repeats the call. “Up here, my daughter!” The voice continues.

Emma hears the call but cannot believe in the reality of the sound. In doubt, she runs up the stairs and stops when she gets at the top, confused and perplexed. Before her, the image of her mother, Snow White, Queen of the Wish Realm, smiles lovingly, gazing at her from the magic mirror.

“Mom?” she asks, stunned.

“Yes, sweet heart”, the grey-haired queen answers, “do not doubt your senses, I am really your Mother. Thanks to the goodness of the gods, your father and I have accompanied you throughout your days on the island, watching over you, from Heaven, through devices similar to your magic mirror or, sometimes, through the most reliable windows that exist between our worlds: the eyes of your pets, Luna and Missy.”

“Heeey, my adorable little princess!” The Charming King exclaims smiling, entering on the screen.

“Dad?” Emma exclaims, tears streaming down her face as she slowly sits in the armchair in front of the mirror.

“Daddy present - not in flesh, but in spirit!!” The generous King David assures her. “Today we were blessed with the most special grace. Your words and questions touched the heart of the Gods and deities and then they decided to grant us the right to appear to you so that you could see us and we could talk to you reassuringly.”

“Emma, listen to us, our time is short” says Queen Snow. “First and most, never ever forget that you are loved by us. We Love you, Emma. We will always love, protect and find you…”

“Snow! That was  **my** line!!” David protests.

“You can say it again later, Charming, on your turn, do not worry. But now, my daughter, it is my turn: we want you to know that we are in Peace, in Light, that we are in Heaven. Look, Life is made up of both good and bad times, and the cycle is one that we cannot control. It is something that is subjected to everybody, no matter if kings or common workers. Nobody on earth can avoid what is fated. When you have good moments in your life, make sure that you enjoy them to the fullest, for what comes up must always go down. The same is true in reverse - when you are in a bad situation, things will eventually become better again. This is the reason for never losing Hope.”

“Greater forces that are outside of human control are always at work”, Snow continues. “The same forces that govern the changing of the seasons, or the rising and setting of the sun are also the master of luck and the fate of individuals. Where it lands is as random as chance - you may find yourself at either the top or bottom, but remember that no matter what the outcome is it may not last for very long, for the wheel always turns.”

“Regina – the three of them – exercised her free will but, at the same time, did not have a choice in the whole picture, unwillingly or not, and the same applies for Liam, Killian and their father, hundreds of years ago, the same for Milah, or for Rumple, same for you and for your father and me. Just remember that what happened – and how it happened - was necessary so that you and your Killian could cross the time-space barrier and embark, now, on your true love journey. You two are blessed with the purest and rarest love. Finding your true love is the most precious treasure I could wish for you, my daughter, my precious Emma. Don’t ever lose Hope that everything will be alright, because that is true.”

“My turn now, Snow,” the King interrupts the Queen, smiling. “At first, a brief message: I’ve been in contact with your first husband, ‘Sir’ Bae, and he asked me to send you his blessing. He knows about your adventures and wishes to you, Henry - and Killian as well, all the love in the world. W. Bae is fine, Emma, quite happy next to his mother, Milah, and to the other Bae, whom some people call Neal. Speaking of him, his entrance into Heaven was conditioned to true forgiveness and regret - after all, the resentment he felt for being ‘abandoned’ by his mother was not enough to stop him from abandoning the young Emma Swan paying in a prison for a crime he had committed - no matter he did not know she was pregnant. Learning to contextualize before judging and condemning (as he did with Killian during centuries) was necessary for ‘Neal’ to redeem the essence of his true self, that is, Baelfire. At the same time that W. Bae died and entered Heaven more easily, Bae went through a trial in which he was faced with the tribulations of his life, from the feeling of rejection by his parents, to the selfishness which he developed as a defense mechanism but also led him to blameworthy actions in the Land without Magic. After recognizing his faults, he gained access to heaven. Once they were reunited, the two Baes waited for the soul of their mother, Milah, to conquer the right to join them. That has always been the true happy ending for the three of them. In this story, another demonstration that misguided decisions can be rectified was given when our counterparts, Snow and David, chose Bae’s false identity to name their son. Because of that, Hermes, god of many attributes among them _language_ , had a lot of work so that the word ‘Neal’ would not be stigmatized and impregnated with the energy of unjust homages.”

“As for your difficulties in understanding, accepting and forgiving what Regina did, what I have to tell you is that Regina (the three of them) has already paid - and still pays - for her misdeeds; she is now, finally, completely learning her lessons, the three of them are. It is not for us to judge her, no matter how tempting the judgment is, it is not up to us. It’s not up to you, because our vision – your vision - is limited when it comes to spanning every angle and every aspect of her life. Infinity is an abstract concept, but it is what better defines the degree of wisdom necessary for getting a full glimpse of the whole.”

“Just in case, if you have any further doubt, Honey, the tarot card that describes more accurately the moment you are living is ‘The Wheel of Fortune’ in the upright side. Do you remember how we used to play tarot?” He asks and Emma nods affirmatively. “It is one of the most highly symbolic cards in the deck, filled with many signs and many meanings. If you remember well, at the center of the card there is a giant wheel covered by esoteric symbols. There are different creatures that surround the wheel; the angel, the eagle, the bull and the lion. The books that the creatures hold communicate wisdom and self-understanding. The snake indicates the act of descending into material world. On the wheel rides a sphinx that sits at the top, and what appears to be a devil, Anubis, arises at the bottom. These two figures are representative of both the wisdom of the gods and kings (sphinx) and the underworld (Anubis). They are rotating forever, cyclically, and this suggests that as one comes up, the other goes down.”

“You asked for an understanding that could help you to develop feelings of acceptance and forgiveness, and that is what we bring to you.” David summarizes, and concludes: “Remember: Changes, Cycles, Inevitable Fate – in that order, these are the keywords that represent what Regina triggered when she killed us. She put the wheel to spin, generating change. The cycle of your stay in the heart-shaped island is completing a full period, which will lead you to your inevitable fate: finding your True Love.”

“Emma,” Snow comes again, “our time is expiring, but we will continue to look after you, Henry, Killian, Alice and everybody else, including Regina – all of you. When the time comes, we will meet again in Heaven. Live your life in its fullness my daughter, be happy and strong, and know that we are happy too, we are well. We love you, Emma, forever!”

“And we always find each other!!” David shouts giggling, almost disappearing and joining Snow in the ether.

…

Two o’clock in the morning, and Emma still can not get up from the armchair, always crying now for relief, now for longing, now for joy, now for sadness, now for regret, now for gratitude, now for love - an abundant, overflowing, eternal love for her parents…

In return for the blessing of meeting her parents, Emma plans to play some music not only for Killian, this time, but especially for them. The desire drives her to get up and look for a score that could better represent her longing, her eternal love and all her effort to overcome their absence. As she stands, she notices the side window of the mezzanine framing the full moon shining brightly over the sea, a picture of rare beauty. “Moonlight Sonata,” she whispers and goes straight to locate the score of this Beethoven play, composed in 1801. She finds it attached with some notes that read:

**"The Sonata is one of the most popular piano sonatas from Beethoven’s creation. It is also named The Moonlight Sonata by poet Ludwig Rellstab who, in 1832, had this inspiration on a moonlit night on the banks of the Lucerna River. This image has connection with the feeling that overwhelmed the composer when he took watch at the side of a friend who prematurely left the world of the living. In one of Beethoven’s manuscripts there are several notes from Mozart’s Don Juan, notes that follow the killing of the Commander by Don Juan, and lower, this passage is rendered in C sharp minor in absolute resemblance to the first part of the sonata in C sharp minor. Analyzing and comparing, one could realize that it cannot be the case of a romantic moonlit night, but rather of a solemn funeral hymn.**

**The piano sonata has three parts:**

**I. Adagio Sostenuto.**

**II. Allegretto.**

**III. Presto Agitato.**

**The parts of the sonata give the impression of a whole ‘first of all’ through the elaboration of themes and motifs. Consequently, the main musical theme of the first part becomes very elaborate in the second part, and the second motif of the main theme will be encountered in the first theme of part III.**

**Part I – Adagio Sostenuto - is based on an accompanying motif in triplet rhythm that, together with an accented notes motif, creates the impression of a grave, meditative state of mind. The composer adds the following direction at the beginning of the first part: "Si deve suonare tutto pezzo delicatissimamente e senza sordino” which means that the performer should play the part with great delicacy and without dampers.**

**The second part - Allegretto - is very small in size which leads to the idea that it was conceived more as a connection between the first and third part, rather than a part all by itself. The feeling is now denser in consistency, and the fairly meditative character of the first part gradually fades away, preparing the tumult of the third part.**

**The third part – Presto Agitato - is twice as long as the first two parts. This part is the representation of a storm of emotions..."**

**…**

“Mom, Dad: this song is for you; I love you and I will always find you…” Emma smiles solemnly as she sits at the piano and starts to play:

[Suite N. 5 - Opus 1 (Emma) to Suite N. 5 - Opus 2 (Killian)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOsOUcikyGRk&t=M2I1YTc1YzliZTE4NWRmMjM3OGVhNTk3NTQzMGFiZDRiZmYyNTEwMixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

At the end of the fourth day sailing in the open sea, Killian spotted a landmark for the first time. Looking around its shore, he realized that it is a relatively small island and that, as Alice had told him, it is not registered on any maps he brought on board. “It certainly does not have the shape of a heart, but maybe it’s a good idea to anchor and make a basic reconnaissance of the beach for a future reference…” he commented to Bill, who already began to prepare the rowboat to go ashore.

However, as the night was falling, they decided to wait for the morning to step on land. Thus, after four days sailing the high seas at high speed, the ship is at rest and Killian is now recoiled in his quarters, lying but awake. The light of the full moon enters through the window, bringing the interplay of light and shadow to illuminate his memories on a distant past, memories of moments lived in this same cabin centuries ago. With concentration, Killian can still hear the giggles from Liam calling him ‘little brother’ just to tease him, or Milah’s soft voice and moans of pleasure on nights of full moon, like this one…

“I miss them so much. It doesn’t matter if centuries have passed, the longing remains,” Killian mutters.

Even though nowadays he loves and misses Milah in a platonic way, he just wishes that her soul, and Liam’s, are resting in peace - **in heaven**. He has heard the stories lived in the Underworld regarding Liam’s and Milah’s souls, but those might not be the souls of Wish Liam and Wish Milah, he is not really sure about that. Even Aladdin could not answer with certainty if before the intersection of paths the Wish Realm already existed like… since ever. The other alternative would be the occurrence of a division (or a multiplication, depending on the interpretation) of worlds, at an undetermined point along the timeline - a magic process similar to the split that resulted in two Reginas. In the case of the worlds, however, every human being would preserve his/her whole essence, i.e. both sides would preserve the integrity of the original, instead of what happened to Regina, who tried to separate her Good and Evil sides.

Killian believes that the outcome of what actually happened would be better described as a duplication of worlds. Indeed, after long discussions, back in Storybrooke, with Emma Swan-Jones and Killian, the three logically inferred that the concept of duplication at some point makes more sense when considering the free will factor and the multitude of individual choices.

“ _The likability of having **always**  existed two identical worlds with identical story lines is close to the abstract concept of absolute zero_… _”_   _K.J. conjectured._   _“So, despite the magic ‘coincidence’ of mirrored people generated with identical genetic codes, as it happened with the two Emmas and two Henrys for example, in no realistic other way **every**  single person and his/her counterpart - with free will in both worlds **-**  would have an  **identical past, with identical choices and identical unfolding**  up to the moment the Dark Curse was cast. The question that remained was, then:  **when**  the multiplication would have occurred?_”

During one of their nightly meetings, the three came to the conclusion that the definite moment for the Dark Curse to be cast in one world - but not in the other - might necessarily be linked to Bae and his decision about where to go after Neverland. By then, two replicated Enchanted Forest and two versions of Bae had to exist so that one Bae could return to the Wish Realm while the other Bae would go to the Land without Magic. Although for that to happen other realms would have to be multiplied too – starting from Neverland. It might be nearly impossible to precisely determine  **when**  the process was triggered, since time is frozen in Neverland, but at some fuzzy moment, ‘1’ Neverland would have to be multiplied by a factor of ‘2’ and from that ‘magic’ operation two Neverlands began to exist. Obviously, the outcome would also be the duplication of people. In other words, from that moment on there had do exist two Baes, two Killians, two Pans, two Tinkerbells, two Tiger Lilies, etc. In conclusion, when those two Baes and, soon after them, the two Killians, left their respective Neverland, the two Enchanted Forests already existed: in one of them the Dark Curse would be cast by Regina, because Rumple wanted to find his son in the Land without Magic; whilst in the other it wouldn’t, because Rumple didn’t need Regina to cast it since he had already found his son and the two settled their differences and reconciled.

_“Don’t you think that all this mesh of people and worlds is **waaay**  out of the league of a mere Lamp Genie?” Emma asked. “Don’t get me wrong, with all respect for the huge power of a genie - and I know they are more powerful than most people with magic - but being able to ‘create worlds’, ‘create people’,  ‘define fate,’… all of this sounds more like a divine intervention - and a genie is not a god!”_

_“In part you might be right, but in part I think you’re mistaken, luv,” her husband replied absently. “Genies have autonomy for great acts of magic such as creating, shrinking, and transporting worlds, they do. On the other hand, the creation of all stories - the way we know they have developed and interconnected - may be too complex to be associated with the granting of a single wish.”_

_“But the domino effect needs to be taken into account,” K.J. intervened. “Fate can be defined by the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in China,” he smiled teasingly. “Now, studying the subject with magnifying lenses, the whole picture becomes very confusing. An analytical mind that witnessed the unfolding of our stories would have the impression of being faced with a messy mixed salad of mismatched, contradictory and misaligned plots - both in time and space…”_

_“That!” Killian interrupted. “Perhaps the Olympus immortal gods, to escape their tedious immortality, have resolved to amuse themselves at the expense of mortals - us, always wrapped in plots perhaps far more interesting than the ones they live. Maybe the Author’s pens are their instruments to create narrative mazes such as the ones we live in.”_

_“Then, applying this concept to our lives,” K.J. continued the reasoning, “the image that comes to my mind is one of playful - and immature - deities writing our stories not taking into account any logic of narrative continuity and consistency. Perhaps the secret of Rumpelstiltskin relied on the immaturity of said ‘writers’ that allowed him to seek and find loopholes from which he wielded almost every evil.”_

_“You may be right,” Emma added, “but we have to give credit to Rumple and concede that some plots were really ingenious - although these ‘demigod children’ seem more for apprentices of divine writers than divine writers.” Emma inhaled deeply before continuing, “as every apprentice does, sometimes they simply do a bad writing job, sometimes they do a so-so writing job but, sometimes, they do create a masterpiece. Hmmm, what would their names be? I’d risk a few shots; maybe some pretty common names such as… Eddy and Adam!”_

…

“If we got to the right conclusions”, Killian wonders, “that means that there might be only one Captain Liam Jones soul, who has rightfully and well deservedly moved on to Heaven. However, as a consequence of this same reasoning, Milah’s soul, the only Milah, might be condemned to eternal suffering in the River of Lost Souls”, he shakes his head sadly, while pokes his nose. “I’m not sure how that could have happened - Emma and Killian never understood as well, especially because Rumple was not specific – as always - and blamed Hades. As always he never admitted anything and preferred to be reticent and talk in riddles, not to mention that he probably lied and tricked since he was in his Dark One motto.”

“Furthermore” he continues, “now that I’m thinking about it, our father might have been ‘doubled’ too, since he was frozen for centuries by a sleeping curse and crossed the barrier of time – and that would allow him to cross the barrier of space. In other words, one Brennan Jones died, killed by my ‘twin-brother’, and his son from a second marriage, also named Liam (Liam-2), now lives with Captain Nemo – both of whom I have not, yet, had the pleasure of meeting. Besides, the other Brennan Jones, the Wish counterpart, could be alive, as well as another W. Liam-2 – and I haven’t met them, either… and… that… is… too… much… … information… …to… … …process…”

Lulled by circular thoughts that follow a dreamy moonlight sonata, sleep slowly overcomes his waking mind and Killian falls asleep. A restorative sleep returns him refreshed in the early morning, and as soon as he opens his eyes, his gaze turns directly to the table in the center of the cabin, above which he had placed the vase with the flower buds – one of the three gifts from the three Reginas.

_3\. Flower buds, which will bloom when the right people appear on your path._

“The magic flowers are blooming!” he exclaims excitedly, examining the red and pink carnations, quite aware that he is about to meet important people. Although the uncertainty degree ahead is still high, he quickly deduces that the meeting with the ‘right’ people will probably take place on land, that is, on the island where they will set foot soon, immediately after breakfast.

To placate his anxiety and mentally prepare for the next meeting (“with strangers, perhaps, or with known people, or both, who knows…”), before the breakfast (“that Smith is probably already cooking”), Killian opens his laptop and connects via radio to the satellite internet. Although the radio signal is weak, he manages to open the browser and makes a quick search: “carnations” and what he finds leaves him optimistically intrigued.

**"With a history that dates back more than 2,000 years, it’s not surprising that carnations are rich with symbolism, mythology and even debate. While some scholars suggest that their name comes from the word ‘corone’ (flower garlands) or ‘coronation’ because of its use in Greek ceremonial crowns, others propose that it’s derived from the Latin ‘carnis’ (flesh) referring to the flower’s original pinkish-hued color or ‘incarnacyon’ (incarnation), referring to the incarnation of God-made flesh.**

**Today, carnations can be found in a wide range of colors, and while in general they express love, fascination and distinction, virtually every color carries a unique and rich association. White carnations suggest pure love and good luck, light red symbolizes admiration, while dark red represents deep love and affection. Purple carnations imply capriciousness, and pink carnations carry the greatest significance, beginning with the belief that they first appeared on earth from Mother Mary’s tears – making them the symbol of a mother’s undying love."**

…

Before arriving at the beach, from the rowboat Killian and his mates W. Smee and Bill spot distant points appearing on the seafront. With the aid of a lunette, Killian identifies them as two women and six men - “a veritable entourage” he comments, “seemingly friendly as they are waving and smiling”.

Getting closer, he recognizes one of the women, who comes running in their direction: “Ariel…I mean, she looks like W. Ariel!” he says, welcoming her smile with one of his own, though he does not understand what has happened to her tail as she is running with a pair of legs wearing a knee-length skirt.

“Hook!” she shouts, approaching the seashore as the boat gets closer.

“Ariel!” he replies, “is that really you? I mean, Wish Ariel?”

“Yes!!! In flesh, bone and… legs!!” she snaps back giggling and exhibiting her feet.

“How is that possible?” he asks.

“Magic bracelets, see?” She shows her fists with bracelets, “same as those used by my ‘twin-sister’ Ariel. My father, King Triton, was generous with me and… here, let me help you, give me your hook so I will help you out of the boat… Killian? But, where is your…”

“…Hook?” he interrupts humorously, showing the prosthesis, “I’m also using a kind of ‘magic’ from the Land  **without**  Magic called ‘technology’!” he explains hugging his friend. “I missed you, Ariel…” and she nods, saying back “missed you too!”

“So, meet Mr. Smee – but we call him W. Smee because there is another Mr. Smee aboard, and, here, Bill Wyatt”, he introduces his inland crew. “Mates, this is my good friend Princess Ariel.”

“Welcome to Carnation Island, sirs”, she greets them graciously.

As both sailors bow in reverence, the inland group approaches. She turns to the group and begins to introduce them by their names: “Please, meet my grandfather, Poseidon, my Aunt Ursula, my father, Triton, Captain Nemo, ”

“Father? Is that you?” Killian cuts in the moment she was about to introduce a man who appeared to be in his mid-seventies.

“Brennan Jones, at your service, my son”, the man responds holding out a hand. During the ensuing pause, Killian and Brennan lock their eyes in mutual recognition until Killian, returning from the trance, slowly reaches out for shaking hands.

“I know you’re on an important journey and you are not planning to delay it, but I expect you to stay on the island long enough for us to talk a little bit, Killian,” Brennan says.

“We will see, Father,” Killian replies and turn his sight to the two other men who haven’t been introduced yet, one looking to be in his early-fifties and the other in his early-thirties, “and you two… are?” Killian asks.

“Liam Jones!” both men reply simultaneously.

Killian smiles and welcomes his two half-brothers with an embrace. Giggling, he says: “You don’t need to explain anything; I understand the weird ‘configuration’ of our family after crossing time-space barriers in two duplicated realms. For someone outside, the explanation would sound incomprehensible - only an insider can decipher this puzzle!!” he jokes and his brothers laugh.

…

Killian has been on Carnation Island for less than one hour but everything is happening so quickly and intensely that he can barely process the information he is getting and the emotion he is feeling. In such a short time, he already knows that in the Underworld Arthur has become a righteous king by promoting a true revolution that includes the release, from the River of Lost Souls, of some souls who should not have fallen into it. Among them, Milah, his Milah, was saved. The happiness and relief he feels is indescribable, a sense of  **justice**  and  **merit**  earned by her. He learned that she has moved on and is in Heaven with her two sons, Bae and Wish Bae. “I’m  **so**  happy for her. I can picture her: painting wonderful canvas, running in the landscape with freedom… singing meaningful songs - she had such a beautiful voice; I can see her beautiful smile, her deep, bright, blue eyes… I hope she is truly happy, as she deserves.” Killian says with emotion.

“She  **is**  happy,” Killian, Poseidon assures him, “in peace. As in peace is also your mother’s soul, she’s been there for quite a while. Your brother Liam met Alice as soon as he arrived, they use to sail and, sometimes, they take your father with them, I mean, the non-Wish version of your father,” he teases and Triton continues, “I’ve always told you, Father, that the Wish Realm idea was a really crazy one - but no complains on my part. After all, because my daughter, Princess Ariel, by asking to have legs and to be able to marry a human prince, ended up entering this wish-duplication game, which resulted in two Princesses - my joy has doubled then!!” He and Poseidon laugh out loud.

“Killian,” Ursula calls out, approaching with the rest of the group. “The reason for our meeting, in addition to bringing you the comfort of the news about your deceased loved ones, in addition to introducing your brothers, Captain Nemo and your Wish Father, who by the way sail the seas together, the four of them, in the submarine Nautilus… the main reason for gathering here is another one.”

At that, Triton and Poseidon, pointing their tridents to the seashore, bring up 13 armchairs in a circle, so that everyone can sit comfortably and talk, including Mr. Smee and Kevin, who are magically transported to the island. “Do not worry about the Jolly Roger, she’s safe,” Ariel explains.

“Yesterday,” Poseidon heads to Killian and continues, “your Emma, your Princess Emma, from the beachfront on the heart-shaped island, addressed us, deities and inhabitants of the seas. Her words, of intense energy, rose to the Olympus and caused commotion and some positive reactions up there, which resulted in a direct intervention from Zeus. On the other hand, Ursula, Triton, Ariel and I, the  **actual**  recipients of Emma’s words, invited our good friend Nemo and his crew, comprising, as you know, your brothers and your father, to meet you and your crew on this island. We understand that that was fair and necessary, for keeping the balance of forces throughout the magic suite of songs that you and Emma are composing…”

“Beautiful, by the way,” Ursula interrupts dreamily. “My musical ears thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

“The music has been a balm to mortal ears too,” Nemo interrupts, “the seas have been brighter and happier since the Jolly Roger began her journey to Heart Island.”

“That is true in many senses”, Triton explains. “What you two are doing means much more than a journey of a man and a woman finding each other. It represents a long overdue repair for many disjointed stories lacking from a smoother matching. They depended of the right move of a single piece on Fate’s chessboard to return to their right places where they belong. Each movement of your epic journey, which is translated into a music added to the suite, the Sweet Suite, represents a great number of alignments of destiny lines and that is the reason for Nemo being able to feel the love spread in the air – and waters!!”

Killian nods, silently, reverently, absorbing the enormity of what is being revealed.

“Killian,” Brennan stands up and takes the word. “The honor of addressing these words was granted me by the High Court of the Seas, which fills this old heart with joy and gratitude. They asked me to let you know that you and Emma have been together during this entire journey, even though physically separated. The final result of it is granted in the big picture, rest assured about that. But it is also up to you and to Emma, to your individual choices, to define how you will get there. You have freedom to choose your path, we all have, and sometimes we chose wrong and cause a lot of suffering and pain in the process, sometimes we create a lot of karma that will require a lot of repairing work from our part, in the future, until righting what we wronged. But the outcome never changes; you and Emma, as true lovers, will always find each other, it may take centuries and lots of misleads, but you will get there.”

“In your path to Emma – and in her path to you, there are still challenges ahead that you both need to overcome in order to turn your victory the sweetest and longest lasting. However the obstacles you still have to face, know that you are under the protection of the gods and of your friends and family, who love you, even though among these beings there is one who is not sure if deserves your love in return, neither your forgiveness. Even though, my son, I ask your forgiveness for the harm I have done to you and your brother in a distant past. My long life has been a constant search to be worthy of you forgiveness.” Brennan concludes with a voice filled with emotion.

Taken by emotion, Killian stands up and walks slowly towards his father, embracing him for long moments during which all remain silent. Finally, Killian pats his father’s back and says: “It’s all right, Papa, today I’m the man I’ve always wanted to be, just like you. You have my love back, and my forgiveness.”

After enough time for father and son turn to their seats, Poseidon clears his throat and goes on: “Well, to finish off the words of your father, Killian, we have a few more warnings to give you. Your journey is near completion, continue to follow the light of the heart shaped ruby, it will guide you… until you get very close to the island, when it will not shine anymore. But, do not panic when that happens, you will not have lost the right track, the right route. This will be a sign that the next guideline will come soon. Wait for the next indication that will be sent to you by a magic that has yet to be enacted.”

“I cannot tell you everything because, as your father explained, the challenges and choices are part of the journey, but don’t worry about Emma’s physical and mental wellbeing. The island where she lives is a prime mover in terms of architectural design. She is not alone, as you fear. She has the companion of two very special pets, a dog and a kitten, and she practices various therapeutic activities. She is also being prepared for this journey, during the 6 years she has lived there, by being informed through a magic screen of events in the outside world.”

While Poseidon spoke, Killian acquiesced with shining eyes, already accumulating tears that threatened to fall. After the God’s speech, he almost does not find his voice to barely say, “Thank you,” but, despite the inner struggle, he manages to find strength to continue:

“The words are trying to run away,” he shakes his head almost sobbing, “I-i don’t know if I can be eloquent with so much emotion… My-y heart is completely filled with gratitude for the goodness of all of you and I feel honored by the responsibility of leading, through my personal journey with Emma, a whole process of alignment of destinies and stories, previously unsettled. I thank you for your trust and your protection; I hope to honor them by following the right path and making the right choices. In my name and Emma’s, I thank you all,” he concludes, tears streaming freely from his eyes.

“No more crying!” Poseidon proclaims, whilst crying himself, raising the trident and magically bringing a table full of drinks and delicacies to the center of the circle. “Killian, you’ve suffered enough and have shown yourself strong enough to be released from your addiction, a disease that, in general, has no cure, and can only be controlled through a combination of free will, therapy and a lovingly supportive environment. However, you have earned the healing; accept it as my special gift.” Poseidon imposes one hand on Killian’s head and says: “relax now and enjoy your freedom; you can go back to drinking without fear of losing control, ‘young’ man; your chemical addition is over.”

Triton, also enthralled, cuts them: “And now, the best moment has come: Gentlemen, let’s celebrate and cheer up!” he proclaims as they all raise their wine glasses and toast “to Killian and Emma from the Wish Realm, to Captain Sweet!! Cheers!!”

“Cheers!!!!” the chorus of voices responds.

“Include the gentlewomen in your next toast, Father!” Ariel protests teasingly as she hugs Killian. “Killian,” she whispers in his ear, “have you figured out already what will be the next song you will sing? I’m so curious…”

“Not yet”, he answers smiling, “not yet…”

“We can all sing and play along, you know?” Ursula suggests all lively, “you say which song it will be and we will follow you!”

…

They are gathered on the deck of the Jolly Roger. During the banquet, Killian got an inspiration and chose a song full of joy, gratitude and love to Emma, who started the process of contacting the gods. They have rehearsed the song many times, in between laughs, food and drinks. Because of her musical attributes, Ursula conducted, with the help of Ariel, the various rehearsals, arranging voices and instruments.

The final arrangement includes Ursula and Ariel leading the chorus with Mr. Smee and W. Smee, Nemo at the piano, Triton and Brennan playing guitar and bass, Kevin and  Bill taking care of the drums, both Liams playing violins and Poseidon playing saxophone. After the definite performance, Nemo and his crew will be magically transported to the Nautilus by Ursula – who had invited them to the meeting in the island, while Poseidon and the others will puff themselves to Triton’s Palace, on the seabed.

Killian, as the leading singer, stands in front of them, waiting for when the Jolly Roger starts to sail leaving Carnation Island. The moment the ship begins to be carried by the wind he closes his eyes, inhales deeply and shouts: “On three - one… two… three!!”

[Suite N. 5 - Opus 2 (Killian) to Suite N. 6 - Opus 1 (Emma)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOmFgAHdhONU&t=YzJmNjNjM2IzZGRjMzY5OTU5NDk4OTZkODU3NjYxYmM0MTFlMjdhYixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

## Mount Olympus

As the best representatives of human nature, gods and goddesses sometimes know how be cruel and fickle, passionate and vindictive, jealous and insecure, petty and insane: the embodiment of human solipsism. This way, the voyage of Killian and Emma has kept the gods and goddesses of the Pantheon in constant alertness and debate. For some, Zeus and Poseidon’s decision to open the passages and only create inner obstacles that can be overcome by the force of True Love may tend to make their journey worthless - or less pleasant to watch.

“What’s so funny about watching Captain Swan, as it happens now, and Captain Sweet as, the way things are going, it may also happen very soon, flirting and making love in between watching a movie on Netflix? For us, as audience, a story line without a classic and good antagonism, a fight between forces of good and evil should not interest because it does not establish a trial for testing the protagonists', Wish Killian and Wish Emma, conduct as warriors! In the confront between plot versus character development, my vote is for plot!” argues Ares.

“As the goddess of love, sex and beauty, I disagree,” Aphrodite protests. “The inner battle that our heroes are struggling with has all the elements of a confrontation Evil versus Good. The fact that there is no blood spurt does not mean that there is no inner conflict, and, aesthetically, the beauty of True Love is a balm of which the world is lacking. Besides, Killian and Emma - in any version, as kindred spirits and emblem of beauty and sensuality, are a magic eye drop.”

“Well, depending on the approach, you can see a plot as a character development - that would be its goal in this case, in other words, it would be unfolded by establishing conditions for a deep psychological development, for a more artistic narrative dealing with delicate, subtle, tissues. Therefore, for my part, no claim, absolutely none. I wouldn’t change anything. As ‘audience’ I am fully satisfied with such a  _plot_ ,” intervenes Apollo, god of music, arts, knowledge, healing, prophecy, poetry, manly beauty, and archery.

“As the goddess of reason, wisdom,  **and** war,” Athena takes the floor, “I propose a combination of both sides. We maintain the open path condition, as proposed by Zeus and Poseidon, but involve a wider range of people in the challenges that Killian and Emma will still have to overcome. The complexity of the plot will increase exponentially as the barriers that will arise from now on can only be overcome if more people take a more active part in the choices, governed by free will, and its consequences. This way, the new ‘episodes’ will attract our interest and our audience. All agree? Pay to see?”

## Heart-Shaped Island

Puff!! And a frustrated sigh followed by “one more time”.

Puff! And a victorious simile, “yeah! You go, girl!”

…

With the joy Emma felt right after lunch and being Killian’s happiness so contagious, she felt ready to practice her magic more audaciously and try new tricks and goals, such as shrinking small objects and then unraveling them. Apart from a few times when she has increased them in size rather than shrinking them, let alone an initial difficulty for getting them back to their original size, so far her success rate has been reasonably high.

“But I’m using such small objects, I think I could try with something bigger, maybe a kitchen stool…” she wonders, “I just hope I won’t turn it on any dangerous weapon or a gigantic stool that will not fit inside the house anymore”, she fears.

In the kitchen, Emma prepares herself looking at the stool, concentrating, and… failing.

…

One… two… three… four… five… countless times.

…

“Enough!” she shakes her head, giving up, “I’m blocked.” She walks defeated to the porch and sits on the swing, looking pensively at the horizon.

“I’m stuck,” she sniffs through her teeth.

“I was doing so well”, she continues, “already managing to move and to control the size of some objects – but for that they have to be small at the start. I do not understand why something in me is catching…” She conjectures, frustrated. “Well…deep down, I do know: I feel insecure. I fear I won’t be able to control my magic, I fear I may not be powerful enough, or, perhaps, my magic may be too strong and I will let it get out of control… I simply have no idea about what to do, and how. In the library I found no magic manual, no guidance about how to breathe and concentrate. I simply have no knowledge and there is no one here in the island to teach me, to guide me in the art of magic.”

“I guess I was expecting too much, overestimating too much, wishing too much…” she says in between low sobs, “I wish I could pack the whole house, so cozy and practical, to give it to Henry - a gift from his mother who has always remembered, missed and thought of him, cared for him, loved him… I wish this house could welcome him as a new home - a cozy bachelor home, with the same warmth that it has welcomed me. I wish we could live as neighbors, Henry and I, hopefully… in Storybrooke, or close to it in a fresh new life that would mix different lifestyles combining technology and magic - the best of both sides.”

“I’m not sure about how Killian and I will settle down, how our living arrangements will be. I guess we will live together, I guess… or at least I hope so…”

“Anyway, I do not wish to live in”…Emma smiles sadly because of the pun “…to live in the ‘Wish’ Realm, in our old palace. Of course Henry is an adult now, a king, but maybe he’d better off being away from that palace – there are too many memories there that should remain as such, as memories. Besides, based on how many times I saw him traveling to other realms, it seems that he already avoids being there.”

“Perhaps our palace could be completely renovated, transformed into a new space, a Royal Museum, or a Science Museum… or a College, or all of it and more, also including a school of Magic - I would study at this school…” she continues in between smiling and dreaming, “but not only Magic, it could include all sort of Art – I could be a teacher of Music!”

## Grannys’, Storybrooke

For one of these coincidences that, deep down, we know they are not, they met this afternoon at Grannys’.

_From David, Snow and Neal’s part, the meeting with Gideon and Blue had already been scheduled a few days ago, since Neal’s magic, usually just incipient, began to get somewhat out of control. In fact, it was Blue who examined Neal and found it best to turn to her godson, Gideon, who occasionally visits her. And that’s how they managed a convergence for their individual agendas in that particular lunch time._

_As soon as Neal and Gideon began to talk, the door of the diner opened and Henry, Cinderella and Lucy entered accompanied by their visiting friends Tiana and Naveen. Although the geography of the United Realms is an indecipherable puzzle, the fact is that the realms of Tiana and Naveen are located to the south of Storybrooke, in Maine, with a climate that preserves the same characteristics of before. Despite to anyone without access to the United Realms none of this is real, the fact is that Tiana and Naveen are busy rulers who still lead their people - which made their travel to Storybrooke, also to meet Regina for diplomatic reasons, a rare opportunity for a special celebration._

_“Grandma, Grandpa, Blue!” Henry exclaimed as soon as he saw Snow and David talking with Blue. “Great to see you,” he said clapping David’s back._

_“Henry, Cindy, Lucy!!” Snow stood up for greeting them. “Tiana and Naveen, so good to see you too, I didn’t know you were coming, I hope you enjoy your stay in the capital!”_

_“Good, **great** , afternoon Snow and David!” Cinderella greeted Henry’s grandparents with a large smile, “I’m so glad to meet you today. Henry and I have been feeling like visiting you for ages, Lucy is always asking us to ‘go see Neal in his farm!’ And the best of all is that you get to meet with Tiana and Naveen too”._

_“It’s a pleasure to be here, Snow”, Tiana replied as Naveen smiled to them. “Henry talked so much about Grannys’ lazzanne that this time in Storybrooke I made sure to come and meet our famous and dear old lady personally…” Tiana began to explain when she was interrupted by the opening of the kitchen door, from which **two** smiling old ladies loaded with lazanne platters appeared. One of them, for not having lived 28 years of frozen time, used to appear older than the other but they have submitted themselves to a rejuvenating blood magic, very popular among wish and non- wish counterparts, and after the procedure the younger’s age prevailed for both._

_“Did I hear someone mentioning my lazzannes?” asked Granny to what her ‘twin sister’ replied “our lazzannes, you mean?” and the two laughed good humored._

_“Granny!” Henry said, “I mean, Double-Granny!!”and he winked at Lucy, who had joined Neal and Gideon, “please, meet Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. Tiana is an excellent cook specialized in southern cuisine and was dying to know both of you to exchange recipes and culinary secrets, what do you think?”_

_“Sure! Come with us”, the two ladies answered in unisonous, and took Tiana to the kitchen to prepare more lazzannes for the newcomers. Meanwhile, Naveen, Henry and Cinderella sat near Snow and David to chat._

_To complete the setup, young Henry and Violet Morgan, thinking that the diner would be empty for them to talk more freely, also went to Grannys’. Only, to their surprise, they found the place full of acquaintances._

_“Maybe it’s good for everyone to get used to seeing us together,” Henry whispered to Violet, holding her hand, to which Violet smiled and nodded._

_Unlike the once shy teenager, Violet became a self-confident young lady with a brilliant mind and smile. Her relationship with Henry Mills, her first crush, has evolved into a friendship, even though she still finds it weird that the same Henry, who used to be her age, with whom she fell in love as a teenager, today is an adult more than 10 years older than her… Although her relationship with Henry Mills has not evolved romantically, with Wish Henry, on the contrary, the progression is happening much faster and more naturally. It’s too soon to know if it will be long-lasting, but it’s how she feels their love evolving and, as it turns out, how Henry feels too: a blooming flower._

After lunch, everyone is still at Grannys’, having coffee and chatting animatedly.

The two Henrys talk about Henry Mills’ career as a writer and, with his characteristic optimism when it comes to believe on happy endings, he reveals that he is thinking about writing The Sweet Suite book, if the ‘leading roles’ agree with that. “I’m thinking about something as a multimedia book, because the songs are part integrant of the story”, he explains to W. Henry.

On his part, W. Henry shares his plans of moving to Storybrooke - he will start to look for a place to live there soon. He believes that by using modern communication technology he will be able to take care of his realm from Storybrooke, as it is really close to the Wish Realm now, “barely half an hour, by car”. He will also be close to his mother, who most likely will live with Killian in the loft, not to mention that he will be close to Violet.

Henry Mills, remembering his teenage years, encourages this new relationship with Violet, a really special young lady. While they talk, their hands begin to shake and the two sense the ‘call’ from the Author’s Pen in W. Henry’s backpack. Quickly, W. Henry picks it up just in time for seeing the pen writing a new riddle on a white page of the story book:

 **Magic… that springs  
** **from a chanter heart**  
 **also comes from hands**  
 **that shoot an enchanted arrow**  
 **pointing from the North Time**  
 **to reach the South Heart**  
 **carrying completion and**  
 **confidence through**  
 **knowledge that frees**  
 **…Magic.**

…

All gather around the two Henrys to decode the riddle and it takes a while for it to start to make sense, at least structurally. Considering that both Henrys have been directly connected to the magic pen, which wrote the message, according to Gideon probably dictated by Gods, their first conclusion is that most likely the receipt of what they have to ‘do’ is Wish Emma. And that should be done by not only her son but also by the son of Emma Swan - and whoever may be connected to them. Because of this conclusion, they try to decode the riddle by breaking it in smaller parts, “trying to combine intuition and reasoning”, as explained by Blue. At the end they will join the pieces.

…

Snow and David start the process from the first line: ‘magic… that springs from a chanter heart’ – “that is the definite prove that the riddle is related to Emma Sweet. It’s talking about her magic, her magic that comes from her  _musical_ chanter heart”.

‘Also comes from hands that shoot an enchanted arrow’ is decoded by Neal and Lucy: “could be any archer’s hands but the best ones are Mom’s (“Great Grandma’s”, Lucy whispers to Snow, taking her hand), because her heart is connected with Emma’s by a  _sort_   _of_  mother-daughter bond; then she is the one to shoot a  _magic_ _arrow_!”

‘Pointing from the North Time’ - the two Grannies figure out that one. “Storybrooke is in the  _North_ , then she must shoot from the town’s  _clock_ , over the library…”

Tiana and Naveen get the meaning of the ‘South Heart’: “then she has to throw the arrow from Storybrooke, in the North… to reach  _South_ , where the  _heart-shaped_   _island_  might probably be located. According to what Regina has told us this morning, Emma is in a Heart Island - that was the last message Killian received  from her before he set sail”.

‘Carrying completion through knowledge’ is deciphered by Cinderella and Henry: “Emma is in need of a  _specific_ knowledge to possibly overcome an obstacle…” Cinderella says and Henry continues: “…so the arrow must be magically impregnated with a kind of knowledge” and Violet adds to their statement: “and ‘confidence’ means that Emma might be in need of a boost to her self-confidence…”

“ _…about_   _her_   _magic_   _power_!” Gideon and Blue complete in unisonous, deducing that the knowledge is about Magic.

To that, W. Henry finally completes that “the knowledge will  _free_  my mother’s  _magic_  to its fullness”.

…

David and Snow drive back home, for getting the bow and the arrow, while Neal helps Gideon and Blue with an enchantment for a compass and a potion to impregnate the arrow.

“Your mother needs to be at the top of her ‘archer’ self-confidence when shooting, and you will use your magic to give the arrow the direction and the push required to travel through space until reaching the island”, Gideon explains to Neal. “If we have figured out correctly the message, to carry confidence is exactly the function of the magic. The knowledge is not a ‘placebo effect’, though, there is real magic involved and the arrow will carry the knowledge on magic that Emma needs - Blue and I will make sure of that - but she will have to believe in her own power”, he adds.

“I think there is nothing to fear then,” says Blue, “as Snow is our champ in transmitting self-confidence and Henry Mills and Lucy can help us to produce a potion of true belief!”

…

In their way back to town, David and Snow talk about the missing Emma.

“You know, Snow, she could be our real daughter if the circumstances were reversed, and to be honest I do feel like she is, in a way, our daughter too…”

“Me too, David”, Snow confesses. “There is not a single scenario I can imagine in which I do not care for her as a daughter - well, if we think in terms of science of the land without magic, a DNA analysis would confirm our parenthood. Anyway, she is our daughter in our heart, and much loved…” Snow completes, with teary eyes, almost dramatically, while David drives the pickup truck back to Grannys’. “I am aware of my responsibility, David, but it is with my heart full of love and hope that I intend to concentrate while shooting the arrow.”

“I feel like our wish versions are confiding us their most precious treasure: their beloved little girl. I feel like now we have 3 children, Snow!!” David smiles and finishes parking the truck.

…

After impregnating the arrow with a magic potion and enchanting it to fly until its destination, everybody, except Snow, David and Neal, gathers on the street and waits in front of the library. In the clock tower, Neal prepares the enchanted compass so that Snow can align the arrow with the North-South line. David opens the clock window and Snow, visualizing a self-confident Emma in Heart Island, proceeds to shoot the enchanted arrow.

When the flash crosses the sky they all clap and cheer up, walking back to Grannys’ to celebrate their achievement with a combination of Tiana’s and the two Grannies’ cuisines. They head to the celebration with their hearts full of hope and desire to plan their next meeting, at the same Grannys', to celebrate the triumphant return of Wish Killian, Wish Emma and the Jolly Roger crew.

## Heart-Shaped Island

At the Island, Emma sees an arrow landing in the front porch.

After touching it, to examine it, she feels a flow of magic through her body, from her hands to her mind, bringing knowledge about Magic that she did not possess before. She tests her new skills with bigger objects and it works as expected!

Empowered with an intense light magic, she proceeds to shrink the furniture of the house among other objects. She knows then that she will be able to shrink the house and take it with her, together with Missy and Luna, when the time comes. She plans to offer the house to Henry so that he will be able to, whenever he wants, be near her in Storybrooke without losing his privacy and independence.

In gratitude for the gifts she has just received, she closes her eyes and mutters towards the sky: “thank you!”

She then goes for a long walk on the beach, pensive, calm…

…

Emma has never felt so confident about herself, so in control of her own destiny, so aware of her own femininity - in its perfectly cyclic oscillations. “Similar to the Moon, similar to every woman”, she wonders, “every month being born, increasing, shining in all splendor, decreasing, being renewed…”

The Moon, bright mirror in the sky, reflects mysterious flashes of sunny light over the tranquil waters, clearing her thoughts and projecting them into the waters over which the Jolly Roger floats. The Moon light, clearing the path, will bring her Knight in shining armor to her island, even though she doesn’t see herself as a damsel in distress anymore.

The image of a Knight leads to the image of another woman, Alice, playing chess with her Papa - their Knight-Rook code superimposing to the Moon a second image: Alice’s heart pulsating as a Wind Rose in sync with Mother Nature, forever able to, somehow, help her Papa to find his right path.

With a strong sense of Femininity, North and Guidance in her heart, Emma calmly walks back to the house knowing exactly which song to play tonight:

[Suite N. 6 - Opus 1 (Emma) to Suite N. 6 - Opus 2 (Killian)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DU3u4pQ4WKOk&t=NDA2N2YwNDc5YWEyMGQ1YWEzZTE1MjhhZDAxNzJlNDMwMTE2MWJiNCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

## The Jolly Roger

_After leaving Carnation Island, Killian followed the bright red light radiated by the ruby until it switched off in the early evening, when the night started to fall and the moon started to shine. At that moment, the gramophone played Claire de Lune, soothing Killian’s soul, filling it with hope that everything would be alright, that a new guidance would be enacted and provided somewhere by someone, as Poseidon assured him. He just needed to be patient and wait._

…

To pass time, he brought from his cabin the chessboard and started to play alone under the stars, longing for his Starfish.

He misses his daughter, his Alice, the Black Rook for his White Knight. Playing alone against himself used to be one of his hobbies in Hyperion Heights, enigmatically revealing a visceral need to bring to the present, through pieces arranged on a chessboard, a past of which he could not remember but he knew existed in some corner of a dormant memory. “Lonely nights in Seattle…” he mutters as he randomly moves the pieces on the chessboard.

Living under the skin of a character created by a curse was one of Killian’s most excruciating experiences. “Poor Rogers, poor me - and poor Tilly,” he mutters, “all the time beside Tilly, feeling an inexplicable connection with her, a desire to protect her and support her, mysteriously in a father-daughter way, and at the same time in search of a lost link with a lost girl I assumed was named Eloise Gardener, a prisoner at Belfry Towers.”

Killian does not like to think about Gothel, but inevitably he does think, sometimes. Like it or not, she is Alice’s mother, it was from her that Alice inherited a special, unique, magic, not a magic such as that of Regina, Zelena, even Emma Swan. “Alice’s power is strongly attached to the elements of Nature, Mother Nature, an inheritance of Mother Gothel…” he recalls. For him, Gothel will always be an indecipherable mystery, per se, a nymph that lived, during thousands of years with her fellow sisters and mother, a peaceful and reclusive life alongside Nature. But it was her, Alice’s mother, whom would become fascinated by humans and, eventually, would be tormented by the same humans, treated by them as an abomination. Because of her, the other nymphs would be slaughtered and her mother, Mother Flora, would be killed – which explains how Gothel, the last tree nymph left in existence, inherited the title of Mother.

“All considered”, he concludes, “despite her insane mind, obscured by hatred and thirst for revenge against humanity, despite her extremely poor choices and actions - one of which put me in the same group of sexually abused people in which Zelena, in her villainous past, put Robyn’s father - Gothel was able to pass on through her genes the good side of her essence - also similarly to how Zelena passed on to Robyn - thus generating a rare treasure, a precious gem that shines like a thousand suns and moons. My Alice…” he thinks of her protectively.

“I love you and I miss you so much, my sweet little girl. Well…” he chuckles, “not so little neither a girl anymore, but forever my sweet Starfish…” he smiles, slowly closing his eyes, “we saw each other only a few days ago, but the intensity of this journey has relativized Time more than usual, I guess …” he sighs.

Looking pensively at the Moon, Killian muses, “Alice, my daughter, where are you tonight?”

…

Feeling the soft breeze on the face, he continues to ‘talk’ to his daughter, “I hope you’re happy, you and Robyn. I… I hope you are smiling your happiest smile, my daughter…” he inhales deeply while calmly waits for something he doesn’t know what it will be but hopes about what it will ‘do’…

## Oz

_Hand in hand and with steps resembling disjointed ballet choreographs, the merry couple walked the yellow path laughing and singing in a repeat mode. She always sang:_

**_"I left my heart in San Francisco_  
** _**High on a hill, it calls to me** _  
_**To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars** _  
_**The morning fog may chill the air, I don’t care..."**_

_To which he always responded:_

**_"Follow the yellow brick road, follow the yellow brick road_  
** _**Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow-brick road** _  
_**Follow the yellow brick road, follow the yellow brick road** _  
_**Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow-brick road** _  
_**Follow the yellow-brick, follow the yellow-brick** _  
_**Follow the yellow-brick road..."**_

…

_“Dorothy!” Red called, “Do you remember where we spent your birthday last year?_

_“Of course, we were at DunBroch, at the wedding of Mulan and Merida, an unforgettable week…” Dorothy replied._

_“So… we agreed with them, on that occasion, that your birthday this year would be celebrated in Oz, remember that?”_

_“I remember you saying something about it but I was distracted in another conversation when you agreed with them, I confess that I had forgotten.”_

_“Well then, know that I have not forgotten and this is my birthday gift to you, my dear.” And Red hugged and kissed her affectionately, explaining “a surprise party! It was not easy to organize and hide everything from you, but I had a little help (pun intended) from the munchkins. Well, then… Happy Birthday, my love!”_

_“Happy Birthday!!” exclaimed the guests, who were hiding in the adjoining room._

…

Red’s commitment to a memorable meeting paid off. The group of long-time friends and acquaintances gathered in a harmonious atmosphere, conducive to a good chat in a round table full of foods and drinks: Zelena & Chad - they traveled all the way from San Francisco to Maine, and friends from the United Realms, who did not have to, actually, cross a long geographic distance - Alice & Robyn, Merida & Mulan, Aurora & Philip, W. Mulan & W. Red (magically deaged and, because they did not live under 28 years of frozen time, they have been married for almost thirty years).

“You know, the more I think about it, the more confused I get.” Chad speaks to everyone, in general, and then, addressing his wife, he asks: “Zelena, you’ve seen the map of the United States, haven’t you?” To which she nods. “It is inconceivable that in the small state of Maine, M-a-i-n-e: I am talking about MAINE - there may coexist, invisible to the outside world, this diversity of enchanted realms, of climate, of customs… of eras!!! I’d better not even touch the subject ‘time’, let’s just focus on space: inconceivable!”

“Well, my dear hubby,” Zelena retorts, “even your modern Science has already figured out some of our little ‘secrets’, such as the one that states that a mass will lead to a distortion of space-time. Empty space-time is flat but space-time in the presence of masses is curved. This is a key to one of the mysteries behind our Maine paradox, or behind gravitational fields and relativity principle, if you prefer.”

W. Mulan, who listened in silence, enters into the conversation: “As far as I know about the Land without Magic, as described by our good friend Dragon, regardless their advanced technology and many “Islands of Light” where a more luminous mankind still prevails, in general people out there are going crazy in a multicultural disharmony of intolerance, prejudice and violence against Nature and their own humanity: a real civilizing turning point. Sometimes I wonder why and the reasons seem to be of a spiritual nature, no matter if in a personal or collective approach.”

To that, Mulan adds: “For me, the problem is not related to being ‘with magic’ or ‘without magic’, but to the fact that mankind outside of our enchanted realms has moved much far away from its center, thus generating an immense instability and alienation - from meaning, value, purpose and vision, alienation from the roots and reasons of their humanity.”

“That!” exclaims Zelena, in agreement. “You’ve gone exactly to the point. From my experience in San Francisco’s modern culture, the most common form of spiritual atrophy occurs because people are becoming too rational. Their soul remains separate from their body, isolating them from their own inner resources - the dreams, the creativity, and the power of their imagination – which are our resources for practicing magic.”

Pensive, Aurora speaks, “in such an imbalanced context, where reason prevails, I’m not surprised that their reality can make them more susceptible to emotional oscillations, easily provoked by the most basic feelings…”

“But these most basic feelings we feel here too, in the lands  **with**  magic, excessively, I’d say so,” Dorothy argues, “our limbic and rational brain are also a source of anger, fear, envy. Perhaps, our problem might be also a kind of imbalance but, in our case, it goes to the other side, I mean, we suffer from a lack of rationality, which also makes us hostage to reactions based on emotions in turmoil.”

“Chad!” Robyn turns to his mother’s husband, “Why not include Time into our round table? For me it is the most fascinating aspect of it. Not including Time would be exactly what Mulan said: taking the alienation path. As mysterious as it may seem, time is elastic and not just psychologically. Alice and I (and Gideon) are living proof that a full term gestation can last for just a few hours, or a few months, instead of the traditional 9 months.”

“Besides,” she continues “while returning back in time would be so costly for my mother, in her villainous past, with the passing of time, we found out that it could be a not so rare magic. Furthermore, before the reunification of realms, there were worlds where time ran in speed and rhythm completely different, from the fastest to the most stationary. Gideon, Rumple, and Belle got to know these extremes of ultra-high velocity time – Neverland is on the other extreme.”

“About that I can speak from my own experience,” Alice continues, “since in my travels exploring other worlds, after I got to free myself from the Tower, I visited worlds where I shrank and grew not only in size but receded a few years in age.”

“Aurora and I experienced the effect of two different kinds of curse that somehow froze our bodies, in time, and left our souls suspended in a timeless limbo…” Philip remembers, and then he asks: “Zelena, the curse that took you to Hyperion Heights was a journey back in time, wasn’t it?”.

“Yeah, that was one of the many times we traveled in time, and I’m not even referring to the deaging processes, I know a few of them but… that is another stuff.” Zelena confirms.

“It is common saying that all magic comes with a price,” W. Red comments, “but from what I have lived and observed, I understand that there is no ‘price’, in the sense of a bad consequence, for light magic, performed with love. There is a benefit, instead. Completely different from the price of dark magic, performed with evil intent. Even so, once paid the price, usually high and in the form of suffering, in the long term the result can also bring benefits, such as the Split-Evil Queen’s wish… Chad, how do you absorb the concept of world and people duplication?” W. Red asks, glancing sideways at Red, Mulan and W. Mulan, the four of them opening a wide smile of complicity.

“Another concept of difficult absorption because I tend to think in terms of genetic code and probability concepts,” Chad replies, “In summary, since I embarked on this journey with my wife, what has driven me is the love I feel for her. Everything else, I admit, needs to be abstracted, I simply try to accept these magic paradoxes without thinking too much (although sometimes that is nearly impossible) because my mind, trained in rationality, would distort in an irreversible tilt!” he mocks.

A pause ensues, as everyone continues to eat and drink. Merida, who listened attentively but silently to the conversation, takes the word. “No matter in which world, in what space, at what time, duality is present in all of them, and the essential battles are exactly the same, the game of opposite polarities.”

“In all of them we find a range of movements and ideologies.” Merida proceeds. “Many of them share and fight for common and noble goals: equality, harmony and peaceful coexistence - regardless of gender, sexuality, color and race. That includes seeking to establish opportunities for women that are equal to those for men - regarding everything: lifestyles, profession and ideologies that do not cause harm to anyone else. Everyone should find his or her place in the world and… I’m really grateful for the curse that created the United Realms being able to preserve the geopolitical independence of each realm. That is because I fought really hard to prove my value and to conquer the right of governing DunBroch.”

“You are soooo right!”, Alice nods excitedly and, then, longing dreamily, she speaks like reminding herself of her own nature, “In my childhood, spent entirely in the Tower, thanks to my Papa I was able to develop an imagination very rich in details - he is an excellent storyteller, many of the stories and adventures he told being literally lived by him. He used to tell me that I should never forget that I am human, I define myself not others. We should never beat ourselves senseless over what our desires are or our nature is. To do so would limit our nature and prevent us from becoming enlightened.”

Taking Alice’s hand to caress it gently, Robyn says, “Love recognizes no barriers.” Kissing Alice’s hand she completes, “without requiring a reason to exist, loving requires just ‘loving’…”

The soft atmosphere surrounding them brings to mind the memory of Killian on his journey in search of his Emma.

“Talking about love, I don’t know if you already knew,” Zelena says, “but speaking on the phone with my sister, I mean one of my triplet sisters…” and everyone laughs at the joke, “so the Good Queen number one told me that she met Killian (Nook) hours before his departure from Storybrooke. He told her that he had just received other musical message from Emma Sweet – in that way of them to communicate, heart to heart. From what I learned, Emma is living on an island in the shape of a heart, probably a tropical island. Regina told me that the three Reginas prepared three magical gifts for him to take on the trip: a heart-shaped ruby that shines when the ship is on the right track. A vase with flower buds, enchanted to blossom when important people appear on his path and a gramophone, with a twisted acoustic shell enchanted to play the right songs at the right moments…”

Alice and Robyn listen carefully to Zelena, in silence, hand in hand. Suddenly, Alice feels a pang in her heart and, in a trance, mumbles words that Robyn, desperate to help, asks for someone to take note.

They all gather to read the words whose meaning all of them try to make sense:

 **When a tornado  
** **thought becomes**  
 **and its twist**  
 **guidance provides,**  
 **a path will be open**  
 **to the heart**  
 **that can be reached**  
 **through the music**  
 **that can be heard.**

…

After a long discussion about the meaning of Alice’s cryptic channeling, they finally get to it and proceed to action.

Standing in a circle, everybody gathers, hand in hand, to create a chain of thoughts centered on the image of the Jolly Roger sailing towards the Heart-Shaped Island. Alice and Zelena, the two of them with magic power, create a light tornado whose twist elevates everybody in the air. They cannot let go of their hands, so as not to undo the chain. Like playing a circle game, everyone spins with a common mental concentration, visualizing the ship on the path that will take it to the island, propelled by their guidance.

The visualization of the group evolves smoothly into a gramophone with an acoustic shell whose shape is also a twisted spiral, which lead the collective mentalization to conjure a song sounding out of it.

As they round into the air, in Oz, the song is transmitted to Killian’s gramophone, in the Jolly Roger.

Still spiraling, the spin slows down and stops when everyone goes back to the floor, coming out of the chain and of the trance.  Alice smiles at Robyn, at first, then at Zelena and, finally at everyone, saying with teary eyes: “thank you”.

There is a collective hug and the party continues from that, with Chad extremely happy and excited by the "transcendental and mystical experience," in his own words, "simple magic, my darling," in the words of his wife. They celebrate with their hearts full of hope and desire to plan their next meeting, “in Storybrooke, at _Grannies’_!!”, Red and W. Red propose, to celebrate the triumphant return of (Wish) Killian, (Wish) Emma and the (Wish) Jolly Roger crew.

## The Jolly Roger

_Wrapped by a thin blanket, Killian decided to spend the warm night in the open, napping and waking up, waiting for something to happen. At 2 o’clock in the morning the gramophone placed itself in the center of the deck, as if doing him company while waiting for the first rays of sun to play a song._

Finally, at dawn, as soon as the crew joins Killian on the deck, the gramophone starts to play a sweeping melody that imitates the flow of ocean currents and brings the force of Nature with the radiance of the Sun in its shiniest smile in the sky - Alice’s smile…

Attracted by the song, joyful birds and dolphins gather around the ship, flying, jumping and pointing into the direction ahead of them, thus showing the path to the Jolly Roger, already propelled by the wind and starting to cross the last miles to Heart Island:

[Suite N. 6 - Opus 2 (Killian) to Suite N. 7 - Opus 1 (Emma)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DbTYUyDjVCRU&t=NjVjMjEzNGNkODQzOGEwMzRiNTU0OTM4MzRlMGEyOTRhNjljZWQ0NixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

## Heart-Shaped Island

The morning hours are passing amid a sense of anticipation of Killian’s arrival. As soon as the day dawned, Emma stood up for a brief breakfast before starting to pack all the furniture in the living room, kitchen, laundry, bathroom and bedrooms, as well as the clothing, bedding & tablecloths - all rooms except the mezzanine are now empty and five chests, in the middle of the dining room, are filled with miniatures of what used to fill the house.

She still needs to shrink the musical instruments, the magic mirror, the porch swing, bookshelves, books, music scores, magazines and the desk furniture. For them, the sixth chest waits, still empty, not to mention the seventh and biggest chest that will carry all the lumber, ironmongery, glassware, ceramics and porcelain from which the house is built, including the bamboos of the hydraulic installation (“at least for Henry to build up a sculpture with the bamboos”, she jokes).

Missy and Luna run into the empty rooms, happily playing with the echo of their barking and meowing. Shaking her tail, Missy curls up beside Emma, who ends up sitting on the porch swing, the only seat in the house, besides the piano bench and the desk chair, which has not been shrunk yet. Luna, as always, favoring to lie down on Emma’s lap, closes her eyes purring in anticipation to the smooth scratch she will receive. “The tip of the (island’s) heart points to the North…” Emma daydreams looking at the horizon, waiting, waiting…

…

“Maybe I got too far forward to shrink almost everything…” Emma reasons, one hour later, “but I assumed from the dream at dawn that Killian and I are at the same time zone… I have been under the impression that the connections are happening in sync and with no significantly different time zones… which makes me believe that the island may be located closer to the equator line but still in the northern hemisphere… Anyway, from the early morning dream the impression I got was that there were only a few miles to cross and they were getting closer, almost arriving… which can happen at any moment now, I mean…”

Emma cannot even finish the sentence as she rises abruptly, causing Luna to jump to the ground, when she sees a point far away on the horizon, a point that was not present a few seconds ago. She tries to steady the view, but the point is still too far away.

She remembers that in the drawer of the desk there is a bezel then she runs in a hurry to get it.

With her heart racing, almost to the point of leaping from her chest, Emma sees the ship approaching the island. From the beach tip, barefoot, crying and laughing at the same time, she watches almost without believing that Captain Killian ‘Rogers’ Jones is, in fact, in the flesh, approaching the island.

However, the intensity of the joy she feels is not greater than the intensity of disappointment in watching, in front of her eyes, the ship being blocked by a kind of invisible shield, a force field that repels the Jolly Roger and prevents her from getting closer.

From the beach, running along the sand, she follows the ship along the entire outline of the island in a closed path, always trying to get in but always being blocked by the magic shield.

**…**

Emma can see the ship and knows that they can see the Island - and her. They are so close now… The invisible shield, similar to the one that prevented Alice from leaving her old tower, prevents the Jolly Roger to get closer and thus it does not allow her occupants to put their feet on the ground (they have tried to come in using a boat). She has tried using magic but nothing worked. She has tried to feel a magic music to play but that hasn’t worked either, she feels nothing but frustration and anxiety.

She may feel powerless but not hopeless. She hopes that the way for overcoming this last barrier will be sorted out - soon, she wishes - if not by her own resources, or by Killian’s, it will be by some other external force. She is faithful but the wait is excruciating.

## The Swan-Jones home, Storybrooke

“Swan!” Killian exclaims as Emma returns to the living room, where he and Hope are sitting on the floor, playing with paints, brushes, papers and hands. “With whom you talked on the phone for almost…” he takes the smartphone from his pocket to look at the time and raises one eyebrow, “2 hours?”

“That was Mom,” she replies, sitting down on the couch in front of them.

“Killian, you will not believe what she told me!” Emma says.

“Translation of what Mommy is saying,” he smiles winking at Hope: “Daddy will believe what Grandma said…”

Emma smiles, but pretends to ignore the teasing while Hope giggles. “Yesterday, at lunchtime, while the three of us were in Arendelle visiting Anna, Kristoff and Elsa, who presented her goddaughter with this new paint material,” Emma caresses Hope’s hair while looking at her art (“it’s beautiful, Sweetheart”) before continuing, “here in Storybrooke there was a great deal of excitement. W. Henry’s Author’s Pen wrote an encrypted message and everyone at Grannys’ helped to decipher it: Henry - the two of them, Cindy, Lucy, Violet Morgan, Mom, Dad, Neal, Blue, Gideon, Granny, W. Granny, Tiana, and Naveen. All of them.”

“The message instructed for an enchanted arrow to be thrown from here, Storybrooke, pointing to South, to the heart-shaped island where W. Emma is. The arrow should take to Emma: knowledge about magic and self-confidence. The archer would have to be Mom, and she tossed the arrow from the library clock.”

“Too much information, Swan”, Killian replies chuckling lightly, “try to expand your brief summary, luv!” he teases, as he stands up and sits beside Emma on the couch.

“Then do not complain that it may take two hours!” she laughs and begins to tell in detail what happened the day before.

…

Snuggled on the couch, Emma and Killian caress each other absentmindedly while watching Hope sit on the floor still playing with paints, drawing abstracts patterns on the paper whilst dirtying her little hands with paint in the process, thus creating a much more ‘concrete’ body art.

Breaking the silence, Emma says: “I once heard a saying stating more or less the following: ‘Each one of us knows the pain and the delight of being who we are…’ So no one can really evaluate the sorrow and the joy that others feel.” Emma pauses to sigh before continuing.

“I’m not – and actually no one is - in a position to judge neither to know but… the fact that I was born a Savior seems to make a relevant difference between the two of us, the two Emmas, and between our journeys. For Wish Emma, apparently no responsibility was assigned to ensure anyone’s happy ending, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there is no ‘assignment’ in her path, we just don’t know what that would be, but I can guess… I mean, psychologically speaking, I know it is not easy to handle a solitary life but I haven’t experienced the solitude of an island in a literal sense. So, I guess her loneliness was necessary to act, somehow, as a trigger for her self discovery journey, which ended up releasing her magic and her mysterious ‘assignment’…”

Emma talks in low voice to Killian. “I just hope they won’t need to struggle with lots of angst neither to fight for being together as much as we did. I mean, while ‘Captain Swan’ is a romantic love story with a happy  _living_ ,” and she smiles dreamily, “our path was marked by dramatic events and, sometimes, tragic conflicts and clashes. I hope that ‘Captain Sweet’ love story does justice to its name, even if for some it could be considered honeyed in excess. In comparison to our own journey, always marked by the need to defeat an antagonist or a villain, I hope that theirs may be better described as a walk in the park - or a sailing in calm waters, being more literal…”

“I agree, luv, but, as you say, we do not have parameters to know for sure. Even if their journey is not facing rough seas, calm waters can hide deeper mysteries, challenges, and also inner conflicts of intensities that can match the perils of tempestuous waters or those epic battles that we had to fight for being together. The battles they are fighting we cannot know, but the four of us are closely connected. Then, if our story serves as a reference, I believe that they might be facing a couple of dramatic bids - in a less intense, external enemies-free, drama, I hope.”

“Villains and foils apart,” he proceeds, “perhaps the two narratives are more similar when it comes to the inner obstacles. For instance, look at your past, Swan, to protect your heart from suffering the pain of being betrayed you built a wall around it - and it gave me a great honor and pleasure to be the one that broke it. In a parallel to what I did, perhaps Key will have to break some sort of barrier to reach Em’s heart, maybe built by her to protect her heart from suffering the pain of losing her loved one. I mean, perhaps the ultimate enemies that they have to battle and win are their fears and insecurities - as it happened to us…”

“Either way,” Emma turns to look into his eyes, “even not knowing, yet, how their journey is unfolding, I hope it will be as beautiful and epic as ours, also blessed by the gods and by the ‘pushes’ we - as part of their group of family and friends - may give them, if necessary, from afar.”

“Now, when we really think about it”, Emma goes on, “the two sagas seem to be in accordance with the individual styles of each couple. Look at you, Killian. To this day you still oscillate between using the old hook as an attachment and the modern, more versatile prosthesis that Key gave you. Not to mention your jewels and eyeliner,” and before continuing, Emma starts to draw, slowly and sensually, small circles on Killian’s chest hair, “they are much more in line with your essence: each Killian’s style reflects the personality he developed; and the same probably applies to each Emma. All considered, I would not trade my Killian’s  _rebel_  persona for nothing in the world. It matches mine, I mean, could you imagine me any other way? More sugary, less badassery? Our lives shaped us to be what we are. And I feel fully content as we are.”

“But you’re deliciously sweet, Swan…” Killian responds quietly, raising an eyebrow seductively while kissing and sniffing his wife’s ear and hugging her tighter. “Hmmm, never ever doubt your delicious scent of honey, luv…”

“Schhh … Hope in the room,” Emma whispers trying to pull herself together and back away from the hug and kisses already becoming overly sexy.

Apparently distracted by the painting, Hope is an exceptionally perceptive and active child. With cognition quite advanced for her age - incomplete 2 years, her penetrating oceanic gaze reveals an unbelievable intelligence. For a child of her age, spending nearly 3 hours in the same activity could be unimaginable, but for Hope, to play like that is a means to an end: to fly her spirit freely.

“Uncle Key and Aunt Emm need us…” Hope turns to her parents and speaks to them in a very serious tone. “They need magic music”.

Killian and Emma exchange a look.

“How do you know that, little luv?” Killian grabs the girl on the floor and puts her on his lap.

Hope shrugs and continues “we need help them, with magic music.”

“But we don’t play any instrument, honey…” Emma reasons. “Would we have to sing? And… what song that would be?”

“Sing, no,” Hope responds, “play. And magic. Mommy and Hope do the magic and Daddy ‘do’ the play.”

“I ‘do’ the play, my little pirate?  Hmmm… Perhaps from some album,” Killian stands up, sitting Hope on Emma’s lap. He walks to the bookshelf, where he stores his collection, and brings as much CD's as he can, spreading them on the floor in front of the couch. “There”, he says, “all we have to do is to pick one; you know which one, Hope?”

Hope comes down from her mother’s lap, kneels on the floor and takes a look at all of them. She thinks for a while and then, resolute, separates one particular album and points her little index finger at the title of a song.

“This one!” she smiles proudly at her parents.

Killian picks the album and smiles when he reads the song title: “The Swan.”

…

With everything ready, they sit back on the couch - Hope on Killian’s lap, holding Emma’s hand - after which the three concentrate on a visualization of ‘Aunt’ Em and ‘Uncle’ Key finding each other. When Killian ‘does’ the  play, enraptured by the song Emma and Hope start to emanate a soft light that, pulsating from their hearts, propagates through space carried by the song until lifting, in the far away Heart Island, the last barrier that prevented the waters of the river from finding the waters of the sea…

## Heart-Shaped Island

While Emma is outside in the beach, looking at the ship, inside the house the piano and the cello start to play alone. The music sounds loudly in the air, as if amplified by invisible speakers, so loud that can be heard from the Jolly Roger.

Listening to the song, the intense events of the last week display in her mind culminating in this unique moment when heart and soul fuse and the only thing that rests for her to do is cry, in silence, in gratitude, full of hope and love.

Luna and Missy get close to her and the three of them watch, from the beach, Killian approaching in a boat.

[Suite N. 7 - Opus 1 (Emma) to Suite N. 7 - Opus 2 (Killian)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D3qrKjywjo7Q&t=NGVhMmQ1ZjNjMjRkNTA1ZjVlYTVkYjg4NmE2ZGFkN2M0OTY4NjExMyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

_When the first chords of the song began to sound from the house, everyone’s attention on the ship turned to Emma standing at the edge of the beach. Even though not understanding the technicalities behind the loud volume, standing from the quarterdeck top Killian felt the magic music spreading through the air and penetrating his soul, cleansing the frustration of being so close and yet so far from Emma – that bloody terrible feeling of impotence, similar to how he used to feel with Alice’s imprisonment and, later, with his cursed heart. Instead of frustration, the music brought renewed hope to his heart and a new impetus for a prompt and immediate action. Coming down to the deck in a rush, he yelled:_

_“That’s it, that’s it!….I believe that the invisible shield has lifted!!! Men, prepare the boat, I’ll go down alone this time, and I’ll paddle myself!!!”_

…

He dives into the sight of an angel in the form of a long haired blond woman, slim, beautiful, ethereal in her knee-length thin tunic, slowly approaching him at each row: the most beautiful vision his eyes have ever seen.

“She’s real, my Emma, so beautiful…” Killian whispers as he smiles and cries and rows… and rows…and rows…

Always paddling, but still not reaching the sand, Killian watches Emma running towards him by the water, jumping waves, arms outstretched, smiling, shouting “Killian!!”

“Emma!!” He responds also jumping in the water. He swims to the beach and, between waves, they meet.

Wet, washed, gasping, kneeling and rising from the sand, laughing and crying, soaked with water and happiness they finally meet each other’s eyes face to face. Time stops for the meeting of waters: the emerald green of the rivers plunging into the blue of the sea.

_…_

_It all happened in slow motion, her hands stroking his hair, his hand lifting her cheek, mouths opening in a smile, eyes merging into each other, getting close, noses and foreheads touching, lips touching lightly, eyes closing, kiss deepening, tongues entwining, arms hugging, hands caressing, low moans echoing at the intersection of two axes beyond time-space domains: two beings finding themselves in the dimension of the purest love. All loneliness and hopelessness they experienced in multiple realities, in a nonlinear — sometimes frozen, sometimes accelerated — chronology suddenly became everything and nothing, crumbling and remaking into an impulse of infinite amplitude and eternal duration. There are no words that describe what only Killian and Emma felt during that deeply slow kiss and wet hug, for it would limit the meaning of the unspeakable._

_…_

_Time stopped for two soulmates to fuse into one and to experience their lives in a transcendental space._

…

_Hand in hand, they walked into the house, where Emma suggested that she could magically unravel some “dry clothes, towels, maybe the bed” … but between kisses and hugs as they took off their wet clothes the magic gave way to more kisses and caresses that ran through their wet, hungry for each other, bodies._

_…_

_For their first love making, no bed was needed, only their love, their naked bodies and their naked souls._

…

After a shower and introducing Luna and Missy to Killian, Emma wants to show him the island, “from inland” she explains, since he already knew it when seen from the sea, having crossed its outline two times: clockwise and counterclockwise. They walk naked, crossing the main axis of the island “which divides the heart into two symmetrical parts,” she extends her arms to show the design of the island.

During the tour they are able to talk long enough to figure out how complementary – like half-parts of a choreography – were the adventures that they have lived throughout the most unforgettable and magical week of their lives. “Our Sweet Suite…” Killian whispers into Emma’s ear as they approach the sea from the other side of the island.

…

_They made love for the second time in the same beach where Emma called the Gods. In the distance, Luna and Missy, running across the clear sands, watched the lovers' sensual rite receiving the blessings coming from heaven, conveying to the two loyal companions the message that their mission was nearing completion. From then on, the crystalline essence of the two guardians during Emma's stay on the island was free to fully shine in its animal innocence._

…

_“Who needs bedding all over this warm and soft sand?” Killian asked, smiling, lying down and rolling beside Emma._

_Emma giggled, daydreaming. “I know it’s real, that you’re here by my side, but… I haven’t gotten used to the idea that I’m really talking again to someone - not somebody else, but with you, Captain Killian ‘Rogers’ Jones… You and I, together…” she whispered, her voice quivering._

_Leaning his head on his arm, Killian looked at her, inebriated by her beauty, pulling a lock of hair over her face._

_“I love you, Emma…”_

_“I love you too, Killian” she replied with smiling eyes, gently kissing him while turning to lean over him._

…

“You hungry?” She asks. “Because I’m starving…”

“Much hungry, my love,” he responds, standing up and reaching out to help her up.

“I don’t know what I was thinking when I decided to shrink everything in the house. I was thrilled with the magic release, I guess… I thought that if I could shrink everything, it would not be too heavy and could be carried by the Jolly Roger. Now I no longer have an operating kitchen where I can prepare a meal for us.”

“Forget it,” he assures her. “First, yes, if you can reduce the size of the house and everything in it, I see no problem in transporting it with us, and secondly, if we go to the ship now we will arrive right in time for the dinner prepared by Smith, an excellent cook.”

“Right…Perhaps, before we go, carrying Luna and Missy with us, it would be good to take a shower and put on dry clothes, I can do that, I mean, wash and dry our clothes with magic!” Emma suggests, proud of her skill.

“Sure, another shower will be great…and love, I know I will repeat this countless times, but I will never get tired of saying that you are  _amazing_ …”

…

_Emma was greeted with joy by the crew. She hugged everyone, thanking them for having joined Killian in his journey. “Without your help the task for Killian alone would be practically impossible. I will be eternally grateful to everyone.”_

_…_

_“Emma,” Killian approached her after dinner, "Luna and Missy are already accommodated in the cabin of Bill and Smith. Tonight we will remain anchored and tomorrow morning we can bring your personal luggage plus all the chests to the ship as soon as you finish to shrink what still needs to be shrunk.”_

_“Sounds like a good plan, Killian. So… tonight we sleep in the Jolly Roger?” She asked reluctantly._

_“Where there is a bed…” he replied smiling with a wink. “Let’s go?”_

_…_

_They made love for the third time in Killian’s quarters, weaving and expanding their sexual energy potentiated by the scent of flower petals stored in a small bowl, placed on a shelf. The enchanted fragrance increased even more their intimacy and created a deeper mind-body connection and powerful orgasms._

…

“I still feel in a dream from which I never want to wake up,” Emma says as she gently caresses Killian’s left arm, now without the prosthesis. Lying on the narrow bed of his cabin, their bodies are curled up as best as they can: legs intertwined, Emma’s face resting on Killian’s chest, Killian embracing her close to him.

“It is real, love, it is happening. You awakened me, then you called me and I answered…” he replies, dreamily.

“Then I dreamed of you,” she continues, “and told you about the heart shaped island, about my insecurities…”

“Concern fully dispensable”, he intervenes. “I don’t know if you heard me when I confessed but I have not been as sexually active as it may seem… “

"I did, I mean, I felt,” she interrupts him, “what you told me about orgasm on the plateau instead of the mountain peaks?” she asks smiling and he nods.

“But … from the sample I’ve had,” she continues tentatively, “we will be good either way, for the sharp vertical climbs or the long horizontal walks in the plateaus,” she giggles.

…

_The last objects to be shrunk were the magic mirror and the piano. Emma carried them carefully, accommodating them in the sixth chest. At last, she took care of the house, the flower and herbs gardens and the bamboo system. After packing them all on the seventh chest the crew carried the chests to the ship._

_In their last moments on the island, Emma and Killian went to its center, from where water springs, and drank it for the last time._

_“Thank you”, she said crying to the island’s spirits, “thank you all”._

_Embraced, they walked to the beach and boarded the boat that took them to the Jolly Roger._

…

They are all aboard but haven’t left the island waters yet. There is no wind. One day and one night have passed without a single cloud in the sky, no wind at all with no indication, on Killian’s instruments, of any wind approaching - a complete, perhaps enchanted, lull. The whole setup brings up a new uncertainty to Killian and Emma who have tried, in vain, to ‘feel’ a magic song for singing along. Although happy with their new romantic development, they try not to pass on to the crew their unavoidable apprehension.

In the morning of the second day, Killian’s mates, to cheer him and Emma up, devise a strategy to keep their spirits high and, hopefully, to promote a little ‘magic’ on their own. This way, besides just waiting for the winds, Smith, with Bill’s help, prepares a special breakfast table on the deck, bringing fresh bread, cheese, honey, pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon, cereal, orange juice, tea and coffee, and to Luna and Missy, milk, water and meat.

Mr. Smee and W. Smee, greeting all with a happy “good morning everyone!” go straight to where the captain and Emma are standing and ask him to bring the ruby to the deck because “during the night the two of us have felt a lot of itch in a callus, and that has always been an infallible signal of winds to come”. Before Killian go fetch the ruby, Bill asks him to also bring the sound control, so that they “could listen to music after eating”.

As soon as Killian comes back with the ruby and the control, Kevin, Bill, Mr. Smee and W. Smee exchange glances and discreetly form a small circle in the middle of the deck. They concentrate and Smith, in a trance, throws two dices on the floor. The sum of them, 7, corresponds to the song they will pick out of Killian’s playlist.

…

All gathered around the breakfast table, they eat and chat excitedly about the winds forecasting by both Smees. On the voyage to Heart Island, the four sailors and their captain dealt with high degrees of hope and uncertainty and all adventurous challenges they faced united the five men in a friendly and loyal camaraderie. Now, with their main goal accomplished and the eminence of the journey back home, the presence of Emma, Missy and Luna aboard brought the memory of another life that is waiting for them in Maine. However, as much as they love Storybrooke, the Ocean is also their home - deep down they feel that they will set sail together again, perhaps side by side with the other Jolly Roger, each ship under the command of her Captain Killian Jones.

They daydream and make plans for future adventures together with special passengers aboard - their families - but, either way, feeling all ready to return, they know it’s time to concentrate and focus on the honor and privilege of being an integral part of the Sweet Suit. Inhaling and exhaling, Bill then proceeds to search for the seventh song in Killian’s playlist and, finally, to press ‘play’. The moment the selected music starts to sound from the speakers, a group of clouds, apparently coming from nowhere, gets closer and a wind starts to blow.

In response, the four sailors cheer up with lots of high-five and run to their posts. With the crew’s magic  _push_ , the sail lifts, moving toward the lower-pressure side causing the ship to move.  

The Jolly Roger sails are like a wing, the air travels over them and the total lift acts to pull the ship forward. The heart shaped ruby shines pointing to their next destination: Storybrooke, while the heart shaped island becomes a small spot in the horizon until disappearing.

Looking forward from the bowsprit, Killian and Emma – he, carrying an alert Missy and she, with Luna tucked into her lap - watch the Ocean waltzing for them, taking them home…

[Suite N. 7 - Opus 2 (Killian) to Suite N. 8 (Killian and Emma)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOb61NIoRmKs&t=MmQ0NjJlMWM4ZTM1NjM5MjhlMDJhZWIzNWVjNzQxMWE0ZjJiYTZmZSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

“Killian, who is steering the ship?” a pensive Emma asks, at the fourth night on their way home, as soon as Killian enters the captain’s quarters.

“Right now it is Bill…” he starts to answer.

“No, not that,” she cuts him. “I mean, in a metaphoric way, looking at where we have been and at the direction we wish to go: are  **we**  steering the ship? Is our ego in charge of our path, of our curse in life?”

“Hmm, we are quite philosophical tonight, eh?” He leans down to kiss her lustily on the lips and proceeds to pour two glasses of rum before sitting down on a chair.

After a little sip, he inhales deeply and says, “You know, Sweet, for the two of us - literally and symbolically, the ship may be seen as the vehicle that has enabled our journey.” Thinking for a bit, he adds, “it may also be seen as a vehicle of faith and trust. We have been indeed supported on this courageous journey across the seas.”

“Yeah…” Emma nods and continues. “We’ve been protected; we’ve been supported, though the choices we’ve made were driven by free will. In that case, the navigational system would have to be our intuition – but that would be only possible with our higher self on the helm, steering our individual ships, knowing the best course, the direction of our life’s purpose, our highest good. Apparently, our ego’s task on our triumphant journey was to impose some obstacles here and there…”

“Aye, these poor egos of ours”, he chuckles. “But let’s give them the recognition and gratitude ‘they’ deserve! They didn’t impose ‘themselves’ too much upon ‘ourselves’.” He smiles pensively, “in their defense, from their place of right - and we do need ‘them’ to live in this world, they did allow us to live our journey on its fullness - this is my ego talking to yours, by the way…” he winks jokingly and she giggles.

Then he goes on more seriously. “It all happened when we awakened and listened to our hearts, connected them through the magic power of Music and set our ships to their divine course and, then, we were rewarded by the Gods’ bless.” Killian continues, “that’s when you and I renewed our mutual and self-confidence, unblocked them, hearing clearly to the guidance that we received for re-claiming our power – and our love.”

“And then, as you told me”, Emma concludes, sipping her rum, “with our awareness came to light the knowledge of our responsibilities, our role in a wind swirl of life and fate…”

“You see, Killian, this whole setup is almost ironic, maybe an inside joke in the Olympus,” she goes on after a pause, “because there was a time that I thought that not being born a Savior would release me from the responsibility of enabling everyone’s happy endings, as it happened to Emma Swan…”

Another pause, another deep breath and Emma completes:

“Now I know that the price of self-discovery, and of our mutual-discovery, is not an unbearable weight but is not a light weight either - the weight is the fair amount that our shoulders withstand. Now I know that each step we have walked in our paths have ordered and aligned the paths of many lives until this very moment when, having found each other, we have finally earned the right to celebrate our love…” She concludes with a long sigh.

With a calm look and tilting his head with a smile, Killian puts aside his glass and, slowly, stands up, helping Emma to her feet in the process. Standing one in front of the other, holding her hands and looking into her eyes, he says:

“Emma, even though I do not know what the future holds, I promise to be always by your side, as your partner, whatever comes, whenever comes. The shape of a heart has outlined our paths and guided us to each other. My heart, broken and cursed, sometimes; your heart, lost and isolated, sometimes; and other hearts: of deceased people, of living people, of Gods, of Magic, of Nature, of Life… all hearts brought us to this moment to celebrate Love, our love. One lifetime is not enough to show you how much I love you, but I promise to always be trying. I love you, Emma Sweet, for all eternity.”

Emma closes her eyes overflowing with tears, and as she reopens them, facing the endless ocean shining in Killian’s eyes, she smiles and replies:

“Killian, thank to you, I found not only the sense of True Love, but also the North and the real purpose of my life, my place in the world. I have often wondered about my destiny: ‘Why the isolation and solitude of an island? Why a heart-shaped island?’ Some bits and pieces I got by watching life, past and present, being lived by others. But the real meaning, the binding that united all parts, the breathing that put me on the stage of my own life, thank to you and to your love I finally understood and absorbed. I am your forever partner, Killian Jones, and I will love you for all eternity.”

“Can I kiss the bride already, Captain Jones?” Killian asks, smiling and crying, to the portrait of his late brother Liam Jones, laying on one of the cabin shelves. He looks again at Emma, the two smiling and crying, and leans for a tender, teared kiss.

…

Two days later, W. Smee knocks on the Captain’s quarters door, “Captain, land in sight!”

…

When the ship docks in the harbor, the sleeping town in silence receives the travelers after their triumphant voyage.

The crew say goodbye on the docks, hugging each other with emotion. Mr. Smee and W. Smee head to the apartment they share nearby. Bill, whose car was parked on the docks, offers a ride to Smith since they are neighbors.

Killian and Emma, with Missy and Luna, prefer to walk to the loft, taking advantage of the tranquility of the night and the quiet of the streets.

Hand in hand, their footsteps echo through the empty streets of Storybrooke.

“Two and a half weeks ago,” Killian recalls, “I was on this same street getting ready to go to Agrabah, from where I would begin to actually plan the trip to Heart Island. At that point I had no idea what lay ahead. In that ocean of uncertainty in which I found myself, there was only one certainty coming from my heart: my Emma, my very lively and pulsating Emma, had contacted me and I would tend to her call. Feeling the deep impulse of the first song you sang to me roused me from a secular sleep, Emma. In fact, on second thought, since I moved to Storybrooke, the constancy with which my thoughts turned to you, to the mere possibility of your existence, was remarkable, always causing my chest to tighten every time I imagined that you could be lost, or frozen, or enchanted... I felt like a needed to think of you, to feel your presence near me - even if in a fantasy or a dream, in order to  protect and keep you alive, safe and sound. Searching for you gradually became a vital need, a compulsive desire to unravel a mystery called Princess Emma Nolan. It came to a point that it was noticeable by everyone, I guess, as if the sight of me ignited the sight of your aura around me, still in a dormant state, just waiting for the right moment to wake up. In a way, you became the topic of many conversations, discussions and thoughts about the possibility of your existence, where you would be, how to reach you.”

"On a more personal level," Killian goes on, "though embarrassing to admit it, there was a sense of frustration and anguish mingled with an almost incomprehensible jealousy of my twin, living happily alongside his Emma. Not to mention, I must confess, the almost irresistible magnetism coming from Emma Swan, nearly enthralling me without building up any kind of conflict or tension - although, obviously, I would never have given it the slightest chance to speak up. I guess you will understand what I mean when meeting the other Killian..."

"I think I get what you mean, Killian, and I probably will feel that too, but I guess it will go the other way around as well." Emma intervenes and continues, "despite of that, I don't see any emotional conflict on this connection, I mean, between the two Killians and the two Emmas. I sense that it will always be strong and able to hold us together in a healthy relationship in function of the very essence of the true love concept - based on integrity. Not to mention the fact that each Killian & Emma pairing is perfect on its own imperfection, on its unique and non-reproducible style. I have faith in the ability of the four of us to live this challenging opportunity to its fullest, an adventure of its own..."

"Aye, indeed, we will make one hell of a team, the two CS pairings..." Killian acquiesces as Emma raises her eyebrow curiously.

"CS: Captain Swan and Captain Sweet!" he explains and she rolls her eyes with a chuckle.

"Anyway," Killian resumes, "by that time, Emma Swan represented to me the idea of a kind of happiness I could not find. On the one hand, I was happy for them, feeling the love that emanates from them, but somehow it spoke to my heart and used to secretly hurt it. I would not say it did hurt out of jealousy or envy, no, but I cannot deny the pang of sadness because it seemed like I could not experience that level of romantic love and happiness myself.  Deep down, I felt the urge to share my life alongside my soul mate, my true love, my Emma.” He sighs and whispers, looking sideways at his love, “now... with you by my side, I feel whole, I feel complete."

"Oh, Killian, my sweet, fearless and gorgeous Pirate," Emma kisses his hand reassuringly, "all this time I've also experienced my dose of anguish and frustration because I couldn’t be there with you, with Henry, with everyone. I just couldn't be ‘present’ and proactive in any way. All this time, I've passively watched life being lived by others, by you, in particular, like watching a Netflix series", she smiles mischievously as Killian looks at her in amazement after her last comment, and then she completes with a giggle, "yes, I do know what Netflix is!!" and continues, "for me, the strongest frustration was feeling that you wanted me apparently as much as I wanted you. And you have no idea how much I wanted you, it was really hard," she sighs.

He chuckles, muttering under his breath "I believe in you, love, but I bet you have no real idea of how literally  _hard_  it was for me to think and dream of you..."

In between giggles, Emma proceeds. "Well, don't get me wrong, since I also have my good form code and really respected your privacy, but I can imagine your  _hardness,_ then, based on my own  _wetness_ ", she teases playfully, "when I knew you were thinking of me at the same time that I was also thinking of you without being able to reach you, to touch you. It was so frustrating feeling such a deep attraction and potential connection but having to settle for fantasies of all kinds, from the most romantic and sexual to the most platonic ones, projections of a reality that was denied me - was denied us, away from any ‘possible’ or ‘achievable’ until the moment I felt an urge so strong that it awakened my heart and our musical connection. From that moment on, it flowed like water finding its natural course to the sea and led me to figure out how the journey we both embarked upon would have to be. And now, here we are, with the eternal present ahead of us, walking hand in hand to our home, sweet home…”

…

They keep walking and, a couple of streets later, Emma turns to Killian to whisper: “Life is so cliché…”

“What do you mean, love?”

“I mean that one of the constants in meetings of friends and families that I have witnessed so many times through the magic mirror - some of them in this same town - concerns time, present time. The ‘present moment’ is on everyone’s lips but, do we really know what we mean by it?”

“The here and the now…” Killian acquiesces thoughtfully, “mindfulness”.

“Yeah…” she agrees, “the idea of living in the present moment because we are always here and now. Here and now there is peace. There is peace in the world that we know. Here and now there is love. Here and now there is light. Even though the Wheel of Fortune, in successive and eternal cycles continues to spin. Even knowing that here and now there is evil, there are villains and beings living in the darkness of their souls plotting to impose the disorder over the order, here and now there is order.”

“This is the meaning of our story, Killian, to align into the here and now lives that pulsate with light, with peace and with love. No matter the struggles we still have to fight - and life is made of them, if we focus on our love, our inner peace and our light, everything will remain on its proper place.”

“Have I told you how much I love you, Emma?” Killian caresses Emma’s hand as they approach the loft and Luna and Missy cross paths between their legs playfully.

Emma nods smiling timidly. “I love you too, Killian…” she whispers.

**…**

“We did it, Killian! We did it, my love, we are home!”, Emma walks into the house, with Luna and Missy, smiling as she looks at Killian, who smiles back, entering and closing the front door, bringing with him her small briefcase.

A gloom permeates the loft while Missy and Luna, already exploring its interior, immerse themselves into their animal essence, leaving in oblivion their magic function.

Emma’s heart is pounding strongly, just thinking of the people they are going to meet. “Henry, we need to find my Henry and let him know that we’ve arrived and, also, call Killian and Emma, I’m dying to meet them, and Hope, ‘the cute!’,” she smiles dreamily thinking of the little girl she met in her dream, “and, of course, first thing in the morning, find Alice and Robyn, not to mention the Charmings,” she sighs, remembering the resemblance of Snow and David with her parents… “Ah! And Henry Mills, of course, we can’t forget him and his wife and daughter… What about Regina? Should we contact her tomorrow, early in the morning? The three of them? What about the others… Zelena and Chad, maybe?” she wonders, “because of Robyn… and also Aladdin and Jasmine - I want to thank him personally… Who else? Oh Killian, bear with me, pleeease, my heart is overwhelmed by so much emotion… I need you as a safe harbor!”

Looking into Emma’s eyes, Killian leaves the briefcase on the floor and embraces her with tenderness while speaking soothing words. His breathing, calm and rhythmic, envelops her, and the two, in sync, slowly sway their bodies back and forth, relaxing themselves into each other, connecting with each other. At the kitchen counter, the gramophone magically appears for its last act, the final piece of the magical suite he and she have played, danced and sang alternately.

“Tomorrow we announce to the world that we’re back, Emma, or better saying, the news will spread autonomously with a little help from the fourteen dwarfs, as soon as they see the two Jolly Rogers on their way to Grannys’,” Killian smiles and whispers slowly into Emma’s ear, both with closed eyes and already embarking on their magic wave. “Tomorrow we go with open arms to meet those who will welcome us with open arms. Tomorrow, we meet our family and our friends.”

“What now?” she asks in a barely audible voice.

“Tonight, love, we dance.”

At that, with Missy and Luna playing around, the old gramophone does its last scented musical-floral magic…

[Suite N. 8 - Killian and Emma: Melody of Love (they dance and...](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DLjBcBe9gcrA&t=M2EyODk3NDQxZTgyN2NkODI4YWMxZjIwMTBiNDFkYzg5ZjMwMTljNixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

... they sing along with: [Him](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy2zzf61ImY) & [Her](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW8WHzThDtQ))

**"What is past is prologue"** (Shakespeare)

As they traveled back home, Emma and Killian spent many hours in Killian’s cabin since their presence on the deck was dispensable: the route up to Storybrooke was well defined by the heart-shaped ruby and the crew was absolutely able to safely sail the Jolly Roger without her captain.

In between making love, sweet caresses, whispers, kisses, laughs, hugs, and cuddling, they made plans and talked at length about many subjects, from the timelines they had outlined to an Internet search on how to prepare floral essential oils and perfume (with an adaptation proposed by Killian to combine sweet almond oil with rum, instead of pure alcohol). About the timeline, after comparing their sketches they formulated a common scheme, shown below.

Incorporating their knowledge and using the technological modernity that he became used to, Killian edited the timeline on his laptop, keeping in mind the goal of visualizing the time flow as a river dance and having a lot of fun with Emma when designing their emoji. The structure is centered on just four people’s story (i.e. two Killians and two Emmas), complemented by those, directly connected to them, that they considered as relevant references for the timeline understanding. By adjusting this basic scheme, similar timelines may be structured with focus on anybody else.

[Riverdance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTIejyTulCY)

 

[Singing on the banks of the river…](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DvZOXqB7sTfA&t=MTA4Y2FjOTQwYjc2ZmIxOTFjODdkZjhjMjQ0OThkYjFiNmZjM2UxNCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1) 

...at any particular time.

## Foreword

  1. Song: Heart with no companion (by Leonard Cohen); Artist: Leonard Cohen; Album: Various Positions; Youtube channel: Evenstar100; Published on Feb 10, 2009.
  2. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.videoblocks.com%2Fvideo%2Fa-calm-surreal-beach-scene-with-sparkling-blue-waters-white-sand-and-a-night-sky-filled-with-stars-and-a-red-comet-97v44qzA&t=NTg2NDVhZmQ1YjdhZWEwYWQwNjlmMGI5YzNlNmRmMmNmMmZmYmE1NyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.moddb.com%2Fgames%2Fwar-at-sea%2Fimages%2Flarge-pirate-ship&t=NTQyOGM5MWNjZTUxMTZlMGJkMmJmOTYyY2Y4YzRkZTI0MzI4ZGNiOCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Frequestreduce.org%2Fcategories%2Fmusic-cross-clipart.html&t=YzhlMGM1YmYxMTAzZTNiYWQ3M2M0ZDMyMjFlN2Q4Mzc0ODhmMTc5MSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)



## Suite N. 1

  1. Opus 1: “Solitude” (by Duke Ellington); Artist: Kandance Springs; Home video; Youtube channel: UCdVUmCH-QAqd_7ibSND0HZg; Published on Apr 26, 2016.
  2. Opus 2: “Heart of Gold” (by Neil Young); Artist: Neil Young; Album: Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 (1963-1972): Youtube channel: mxandguys: Published on Jul 11, 2011.  
   ⧫ Bonus: Neil Young - [“Old Man & Heart of Gold”](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DyjyrJaeUCes&t=ZGU3MzNjZmVjOTZkMTI2MDdmMmViNzEwMGQ1MjIwMGFjNDBjYjAxMSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); Farm Aid 2013 (Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, New York, 21 September 2013); Youtube channel: DrSotosoctopus8; Published on Nov 12, 2013.
  3. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fpngtree.com%2Ffreebackground%2Fmarine-background-night-sky-stars_746043.html&t=Yjc0YTUzNDcxZDFhYTVhOWYxMDM5NjZjZWI5OWU5YWU2M2MwZWM5YSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rusticofutah.com%2Fshop%2Foutdoor%2Fyard-swings%2Faspen-log-yard-swing%2F&t=NTU5NTJiOTgyZGEzZWE4MDc4Zjg5OWUzNzcxNjhmM2JkYTY3NzY3ZCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.videoblocks.com%2Fvideo%2Fheart-shaped-paradise-island-at-ocean-v2kf260hl&t=NjIyOTJjYWI4MWE1OTc4OTZlNzBlOWZjZTU4NTQ3N2Q0MTg2NGI0MixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [4](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fonceuponatime.fandom.com%2Fwiki%2FBlanchard_Loft&t=YTJkZjY0NTgzZmNlMTE0NmZjMDhiYmUyNDFmZWI1ZGRiN2ZiYTA4YSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [5](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Frode.land%2Fimages%2Fstories%2Floft%2F&t=NDljZWYzOWNlY2Y0ZWQ3NWQ3ZjRkMmRmYmExOWU0YjYwMDljMzc3MCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [6](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fgallery.yopriceville.com%2FFree-Clipart-Pictures%2FHearts-PNG%2FGolden_Heart_Transparent_PNG_Clip_Art%23.XHVBB4j0mUk&t=ODJiMGU1NGM2NTAxMGFjNDFkOGZkZjcxZjM0MTA0MTFhYjU5ZmVkMixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [7](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Frlz%3D1C1CHZL_pt-BRBR683BR683%26q%3Dmusical%2Bnotes%2Btransparent%2Bimages%26tbm%3Disch%26source%3Duniv%26sa%3DX%26ved%3D2ahUKEwisx-O5wdngAhXYKrkGHUUPC9oQsAR6BAgFEAE%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D937&t=ODcyMTYzMDRiNjFhNTg2MzdjYmUxMWUxNmIwNzRiMjllN2QxNTYyZixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1).



## Suite N. 2

  1. Opus 1: “Ocean” Etude Op.25 No.12 in C Minor (by Chopin); Artist: Vladimir Horowitz; Youtube channel: MusicClassical1; Published on August 30, 2010.
  2. Opus 2: “Sailing” (by Gavin Maurice Sutherland); Artist: Rod Stewart; Youtube channel: coolmango0; Published on May 27, 2007.
  3. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sunnyskyz.com%2Fblog%2F2289%2FMeet-Nathan-The-Beach-Kitten-Who-LOVES-To-Swim-In-The-Ocean-&t=NmI4YjM2ZmJjZGUwYjA2MzdlNDdiMTQ1NzdjYTI2MDA1ZWZjMzM4OCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theatreworldbackdrops.com%2F405%2Fagrabah-palace-exterior-backdrop&t=NTg2Zjc2YmRjODM1NmYyYTc2NGRkNjM3ZTZhZmQwZTE2YjY1ZjQzMCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fmacmanx.com%2Fgallery%2Fhawaii-2007%2Focean-water-near-kauai%2F&t=NjAxMzIyNGU4MTJlMmQ2ZWNiZmQ0YTNhOGMyYzU3ZjAxODY0YTU1NSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [4](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Frequestreduce.org%2Fcategories%2Fbook-clipart-png-transparent-background.html%23overlayGallery9_post_10392_book-clipart-png-transparent-background-15.png&t=NzRlYmJjMmE0YjAzOGE0NDg5MWRjY2VlYTNlZDZkMDgzNmU2NDA3ZSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [5](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fsuffolktimes.timesreview.com%2F2012%2F12%2F36735%2Fhms-bounty-featured-in-weather-channel-special-tonight%2F&t=NTA2NTA5ODkxODA5OWNiZTI1MjkyNThjMjRlZGEzYjc1ZTFkMWZhMSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [6](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Frlz%3D1C1CHZL_pt-BRBR683BR683%26q%3Dmusical%2Bnotes%2Btransparent%2Bimages%26tbm%3Disch%26source%3Duniv%26sa%3DX%26ved%3D2ahUKEwisx-O5wdngAhXYKrkGHUUPC9oQsAR6BAgFEAE%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D937&t=ODcyMTYzMDRiNjFhNTg2MzdjYmUxMWUxNmIwNzRiMjllN2QxNTYyZixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1).



## Suite N. 3

  1. Opus 1: “Love Dream” Liebestraum No 3 in A-flat major (by Liszt); Artist: Nobuyuki Tsujii; Youtube channel: Subito67; Published on October 21, 2014.
  2. Opus 2: “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” (Official Video) (by Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox); Artist: Eurythmics; Youtube channel: UCyduOPMIl8N6vlyJxRo2v7g; Published on Oct 25, 2009.
  3. References:   
   ⧫ Book: “Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self”, by Robert Waggoner, Publisher **:**  Moment Point Press (October 1, 2008)   
   ⧫ Book: “A Short History of Nearly Everything”, by Bill Bryson, Publisher: Black Swan (2004)
  4. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.design-decoration-ideas.com%2Fpopular-romantic-bedroom-decor%2F&t=ZTJkNTg4MWVmYTViNGU2NzhkYmM5YTUzZTNkNzY0MDYyODVkODFiOSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fsites.google.com%2Fsite%2Fwaldorfwatch%2Fanthro-art&t=ZDJhNWEyMmFlY2U1MDU2ZDI0OGJhODQzZWI5YzA5N2Q0NTUxZThlZCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Frlz%3D1C1CHZL_pt-BRBR683BR683%26q%3Dmusical%2Bnotes%2Btransparent%2Bimages%26tbm%3Disch%26source%3Duniv%26sa%3DX%26ved%3D2ahUKEwisx-O5wdngAhXYKrkGHUUPC9oQsAR6BAgFEAE%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D937&t=ODcyMTYzMDRiNjFhNTg2MzdjYmUxMWUxNmIwNzRiMjllN2QxNTYyZixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [4](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.nauticindex.com%2Faccuracy-basic-nautic-tools%2F&t=MWUxMDg5NDU1NWRmNzRmMDExZjRlMTc1NDdiNjI5ZDI3N2ZjMDI5YyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [5](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dv52JsTmdBjc&t=ZDAxNzhiZDViYThiYWM0OGNmNzJjYjVhOWNmZGMyNWEwNzY4ZGVmOCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [6](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fcarwad.net%2Fdiamond-heart-cliparts&t=NjU4OGE4NDA4OGFjYTMwNDBjMTQ1OTYwZjg3MjMxMDAwMDUzYjU1MixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1).



## Suite N. 4

  1. Opus 1: “First time ever I saw your face” (by Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger); Artist: Kandace Springs; home video; Youtube channel: UCdVUmCH-QAqd_7ibSND0HZg; Published on Nov 30, 2014.
  2. Opus 2: “Angel in my Heart” (by Mick Jagger); Artist: Mick Jagger; Youtube channel: LibAttitude; Published on Apr 29, 2013.  
   ⧫ Bonus: [“Wish You Were Here”](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D1tGO1Y4FGpI&t=ZjkzMDZmMTBhMTQxZTg5Nzc2ZmExMDk1MTE4MjM2NTAxMDRjMzhjYyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1) (by David Gilmour & Roger Waters); Artist: Pink Floyd; Album Wish You Were Here; Youtube channel: ZeppelinBigFan; Pub.on May 30, 2009.  
Note to contextualize the use of this song in the story:  _As said by the living members of Pink Floyd in the movie/documentary ‘The Story of Wish You Were Here’ (2012), this album is not just about Syd Barrett, their former member, leader, composer, singer, guitar player. This album is also about criticizing the phonographic industry. The critic to the phonographic industry is notorious by the cover of the album (2 persons making a deal and one of them gets burned) and the songs 'Welcome to the machine' and 'Have a Cigar'. The song "Shine on you crazy diamond" both parts (opening and closing of the album) are dedicated to Syd Barrett, and it's obvious by the lyrics ('Remember when you were young'; 'Nobody knows where you are'; 'Come on you painter' (his job before Pink Floyd))._  
 _About the song ‘Wish You Were Here’ what they say is that they play the song thinking about Syd, and they can't to it of other way, although this song is not like "Shine On", it's not specifically about Syd._  
 _Roger Waters (the writer of the lyrics) says: " Can you free yourself enough to be able to experience the reality of life as it goes on before and with you, and as you go on as part of it, or not? Because if you can't you stand on square one until you die. It might sound like bullshit but that's what the song is about. All the songs are encouraging me, I imagine that I write them for me, it's to encourage myself not to accept a lead role in a cage, but to go on demanding to myself that I keep auditioning for a walk on part in the war, because that's where I want to be. I want to be in the trenchers, I don't want to be in the headquarters or sitting in a hotel somewhere, I want to be... Engaged... Probably, I might say, in a way that my father would approve of.”_  
 _David Gilmour says: "’Shine on’ is the one specifically about Syd, ‘Wish you were here’ is a broader remit". (_[source](https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/2861/))
  3. References:  
   ⧫ Book: “Flower Therapy: Welcome the Angels of Nature into your Life”, by Doreen Virtue and Robert Reeves. Publisher: Hay House (2012).  
   ⧫ Paper: “Sacred Connection of Ornamental Flowers with Religious Symbols - a Review”, by Husti Anca and Maria Cantor, ProEnvironment 8(2015) 73 - 79. [Available at ](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fjournals.usamvcluj.ro%2Findex.php%2Fpromediu.&t=Y2Q5Y2IzZTMyMGI1ZGM3YjBjYmQ1MDE1MDBjMjA0M2FjMzA3MzBkZCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)  
   ⧫ [Book: “Flower Fairies”, by Cicely Mary Barker](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fflowerfairies.com%2Fbooks%2F&t=OWMyY2QyMjExN2FkMWU4ZGQ5M2YxMDdmY2UzMDQ2ZmZlNTU1YzNhZixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)
  4. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbr.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F117093659038610965%2F%3Flp%3Dtrue&t=MjU4MjBjZWNkMDYwNDc4NjkxMGUyNjM4M2UyYmUzZjI3YzhlMjA1ZSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stickpng.com%2Fimg%2Fobjects%2Feasels%2Fblank-canvas-on-easel&t=ZjIzNzljNGYwMDhhMzcwZjJmNjNlZmU4NmRiYTA0YTU3ZWVmMWY0NCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.raygrahams.com%2Fblog%2F49-get-your-flower-beds-blooming-with-the-garden-hand-tool-set.aspx&t=OWRkNzQwOTI3N2M3ZTQxZmE5ZmM2ODZkYTU5YWVhZjM0Yzc4YjIxYixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [4](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stickpng.com%2Fimg%2Fnature%2Fflowers%2Fvarious%2Fpurple-flower&t=YWFjODI0NmI3M2M5YzE3YzEyYTQ1MWFkMjkyMjEzZGY0MTI4ZWE4ZCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [5](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Filovehdwallpapers.com%2Fview-fantasy-night-moon-clouds-sky-1680x1050.html&t=ODAzYWMzOGI1MTIwYWU5NGI3MTI5MTU5OTE2M2U4ZjAxYjM3MGU5NixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [6](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbr.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F511932682612396224%2F&t=NzczYjkxM2RiODIyNWVkMThhY2VkZGQ4Y2Y5Mzc4NGUzZDdhMzczMCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [7](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.at%2Fpin%2F134334001358481265%2F&t=YmFmZWM2MjJkNWU3YjYxNjBhYjgzNzM1ZWFlMmU4MjhjODM0MWJlYixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [8](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fpngimg.com%2Fimgs%2Ffantasy%2Fwings%2F&t=Y2E5NTAwMzc4OTFmNWM4ZTFlZDE3NTBiNjJhYjI2OTNiZWY4ODUzZSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [9](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pngmart.com%2Fimage%2F7435&t=YzYwMDAyNjdkMjZiYTRiNjE2YjgyOTdmZjkzNzMyZTU3Mjg2ZDJlZixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1).



## Suite N. 5

  1. Opus 1: “Moonlight Sonata” Op.27 No.2 Mov.1,2,3 (by Beethoven); Artist: Valentina Lisitsa; Youtube channel: facevideobook; Pub. on Apr 18, 2013.
  2. Opus 2: “How Sweet it is to be Loved by You” (Brian Holland, Edward Jr. Holland and Lamont Dozier); Artist: James Taylor; Album: Gorilla; Youtube channel: grapebuy789; Published on Feb 11, 2012.
  3. References:  
   ⧫ About the [heart](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eurostemcell.org%2Fheart-our-first-organ&t=OTNiNDA0ODI3MjAxMWY0MTRkYzRkYjNmNTVlMWQ5MmQ1MmYwNzkzYyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)   
   ⧫ Book: “The Ultimate Guide to the Rider Waite Tarot”, by Johannes Fiebig and Evelin Burger, Published by Llewellyn Publications (2013)  
   ⧫ [About Beethoven’s sonata](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FPiano_Sonata_No._14_%28Beethoven%29&t=MDUxMjQ3OGNjOTdiZTUxNmNhZDgxNmY0YzE1MzAxODYyY2NiMzgwNixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)   
   ⧫ Symbolic meaning of [carnation](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.teleflora.com%2Fmeaning-of-flowers%2Fcarnation&t=ZDQyZjhmYWQ2ZGJhNTEyMjMzYjNkMjQ3ZGU2OTZlZjRhMmIzYzA2YSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)
  4. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Ftinyhousegiantjourney.com%2F2017%2F05%2F22%2Ftiny-log-cabin%2F&t=ZmY3NzBmYTJlYTI2NTUwYzJiNjI2N2I2NTE1MTcxNzdkZjkzYjQxMixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cretegazette.com%2F2009-09%2Fgazing-starry-sky-crete.php&t=MTI0ZDg1ZThhMjhhZDI1YjQ1ZGU2Yzk0MDUzZmJiNGVhMjVmODVlNCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Famazing-science.fandom.com%2Fwiki%2FStates_of_matter&t=ZjkxYmQ4OGI0ZmYyMGFmMTdhNDQzZDMzNWU2NDdjNmRhMjcyOTExNixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [4](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwallpaper.si%2Fhd-resolution-sunset-beach-wallaper%2Fbeach-flowers-sunset-6946%2F&t=NWJjZGNkYWIwM2RkZTBjOTlkNDExYWY3MjcxZjQxMGRhNzAzNGQ4MSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [5](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fjst.org.uk%2Fsailing-adventures%2F&t=YjFhMzc2ODlhZWUyYjJkNjBlZmEzMzA3NTI5NTMxNTc4NDZjNDhlMSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1).



## Suite N. 6

  1. Opus 1: “Clair de lune” [Suite bergamasque, L. 75] (by Claude     Debussy); Artist: Seong-Jin Cho; Concert on Siemensvilla, Berlin; Youtube channel: UCLb2qiPZcbEn1fTO__sho8Q; Published on Oct, 16, 2017.  
  2. Opus 2: “Une Barque sur L'Ocean” Miroirs III (by Ravel); Artist: André Laplante; Album: Ravel; Youtube channel: OrangeSodaKing; Pub on Jul 27, 2009.  
   ⧫ Bonus 1: “[I left my heart in San Francisco](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dz5uZryXCZrk&t=N2QyOTE3MTIzZWMzMDFlZTZkMzRiMDgyMmEwYzNkMjQxYzkwNDIzMSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)” (by Douglas Cross and George Cory); Artist: Tony Bennett; Album: 60 Early Hits; Youtube channel: UCN84lWlDSG7_tCilT4JdD-g; Published on Jul 22, 2015.      
   ⧫ Bonus 2: “[Follow the Yellow Brick Road](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DTHbY7EL8k5w&t=YzAyNDJiZDk3NjY3YjIyZmMzNWI2NTY2NzEyNzZiNmY5OTZhMjEyNCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)”; The Munchkins see that Dorothy gets safely across the Munchkin land border - from the Warner Bros. film - “The Wizard Of Oz”; Youtube channel: WBMoviesOnline; Published on Jan 20, 2010.
  3. References:  
   ⧫ Reading suggestion: “The second sex”, by Simone de Beauvoir, Published by Vintage (2011)
  4. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stickpng.com%2Fimg%2Fobjects%2Fcompasses%2Fwooden-compass&t=YjU3NzJlZTY0NmJjNDZlMDUzNzQwNjMxYTBjMDdlYWYyM2JhZjUzYSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rw-designer.com%2Ficon-detail%2F8540&t=NjhiZjFhMGI5YWMzNDZjYjdjY2EyNjZhZGY2NGFjMGY3MzI0MmM2NCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thebridgenewsng.com%2F2018%2F02%2F27%2Fnimet-predicts-cloudy-sunny-skies-for-wednesday%2F&t=MGUyNjhjODZjOGQzYzQ0N2FjZjU0YmM5OTI1ZDY2MDczOGM0NjVhOCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [4](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fmiriadna.com%2Fpreview%2Fmoon-ship&t=MjhhM2RhZTRiMTlmMTc0ZTQwMGYyNzg0ODJmNWMwZDFkYjVmZjVjNCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [5](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Ftoppng.com%2Fknight-white-chess-piece-PNG-free-PNG-Images_31431&t=ZTE5ODc4NTI1NWEwNjllYTIxMzE3YjQxZTUyZGFlZGI3NGUwMmQ3NyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [6](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Ftoppng.com%2Frook-white-chess-piece-PNG-free-PNG-Images_31445&t=YmM4ZDM5Mjc0ZjdkNzM1NDZjNGNjNmYyYjRlMGY3MTQ2ZDU1ODY2MCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [7](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Ftoppng.com%2Frook-white-chess-piece-PNG-free-PNG-Images_31445&t=YmM4ZDM5Mjc0ZjdkNzM1NDZjNGNjNmYyYjRlMGY3MTQ2ZDU1ODY2MCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [8](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fcarwad.net%2Femerald-city-cliparts&t=MzM0NzAwNGVjZjJlNDRhZWM4NTM5MTNlYTYyZjQxYzBmNGNmNTVmZSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [9](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.clker.com%2Fclipart-red-shade-silhouette-woman-1.html&t=YzI5YjExZWU5ZmFlZTkyOGFhMTBiN2YxYWZiNzU0ZjVjNWIzYmU0NixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [10](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbr.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F569423946612811498%2F%3Flp%3Dtrue&t=MGU5MzJhYTJjMDVlOGQ0NGYyZjZlNDc4ZGJlYzNhNmE4N2U5MjllMixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [11](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fpngio.com%2FPNG%2F6700-dorothy-shoes-png.html&t=ZmI3NWUzODJiMDQ3MjQ2YTU1ZTI5NWIzMmE0Y2VmMjAwZDllYTNmOCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [12](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fpngio.com%2FPNG%2F1211-merida-png.html&t=NDVlZTM0MDY5MDM5MGE0ODZjODg5MTgzODFlNGI5ZWQ0YmVkMjVmYyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [13](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pngkey.com%2Fdetail%2Fu2q8t4a9q8o0q8q8_fa-mulan-transparent-background-png-mulan-transparent-background%2F&t=MzY1NDc5NzYxYjIyZDI5NjYyOGQzZDE3NzZmMDVkMDA1NjNhNGJhZCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [14](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pngarts.com%2Fexplore%2F20173&t=Y2Q4ZjBmNGIzZTY4MzExN2VlYTUzZjhlNWVhMjhmMTlmOGQ2MzU2ZixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [15](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vexels.com%2Fpng-svg%2Fpreview%2F144958%2Fflamenco-dancer-silhouette&t=M2MzZDdjNDQ0N2Y0OWE5M2JjNTBmM2ZjMTQwNzgzZjJiMGUyYTE3OCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [16](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.windisourfriend.com%2Fen%2Fsailingship%2Fmercedes.html&t=MzQ2YTY4ZGIxNDJlM2Y5ZTMwOGNkNDdlZGE1ZTc0YTNiYjI0M2MwNCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [17](https://t.umblr.c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## Suite N. 7

  1. Opus 1: “The Swan” - The Carnival of the Animals, R. 125: XIII. The Swan (Arr. for Cello and Piano) (by Saint-Saëns); Artists: Yo-Yo Ma, Kathryn Stott; Youtube channel: UCHWa5v6bbSxpns7mUfC3e5g; Published on Aug 5, 2015.
  2. Opus 2: “Ocean Waltz” (by Sting); Artist: Sting; Album: The living sea; Youtube channel: Svetlana621805; Published on Aug 27, 2011.
  3. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pngall.com%2Fswan-png&t=MGU5ZDNlMDE4NGE5OGM0OWNiYzg3MDg3OGI2OTM0MGNmN2VjMTc5YSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fclipart-library.com%2Fpirate-hook-cliparts.html&t=N2M4ZmVhZjY2Y2I0OTUwZDU2YjIzODc3NDg0Yjg5ODc2ZmM4YjM0MyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbr.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F328692472797175676%2F%3Flp%3Dtrue&t=NzNhMzc0ZWZlN2MwMThhMmVkNDI5MTAzNzBhMDUyYjUxNjNjODk1NixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [4](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fpt.depositphotos.com%2F172845802%2Fstock-photo-beautiful-maldivian-atoll-white-beach.html&t=MTBkMzk5M2EwMzJlODM4MmYxNjNjMzIxZTljZjA5YWUyZTFlZmZmNyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [5](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljanh.net%2Fhouse-in-the-woods-wallpapers%2F1097476740.html&t=ZGU1MWQ0ODRhMWQ0ODVjNWZmZjk4M2RmNTVjOGM5MmEzZjA4NzU4ZCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [6](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas.com%2Ffreshwater-reserves-under-sea%2F30072%2F&t=Y2EyNmMzNmEyNDhjYTJjZTI1ODBjMGU5MjEzNjhmZDE0MDBlNzczMCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1).



## Suite N. 8

  1. Song: “Melody of Love” (H. Engelmann and Tom Glazer); Artists: Billy Vaughn and His Orchestra - (1954); Album: Sweet Music and Memories; Youtube channel: CatsPjamas1; Published on Jul 25, 2011.
  2. “He” - Song: “Melody of Love” (H. Engelmann and Tom Glazer); Artists: Frank Sinatra, Ray Anthony And His Orchestra; Youtube channel: UCJtvg6ZFwzdFdtcHBqetvwg (official artist channel); Published on May 8, 2017.
  3. “She” -  Song: “Melody of Love” (H. Engelmann and Tom Glazer); Artist: Connie Francis: Youtube channel: UCGo9Nr4JHLupRw0Jo9DILSQ; Published on Jul 8, 2016.
  4. References:  
   ⧫ Reading suggestion: “I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness”, by Susan Verde (author) and Peter H. Reynolds (illustrator); Pub.: Harry N. Abrams (2017).
  5. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F102537907%40N03%2F16479277270&t=YjEzMDM3ZmUyOGFiYzlhZDg2ZmJmODljN2M2NTZkOWY4MzhhNmY4OCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.onlygfx.com%2F15-couple-silhouette-png-transparent%2F&t=ODlkMzE0YzU5ZDY2OTBkMzNhZmMxM2M1ZWU3MzBhZDhjOWRkOGI5NCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fclipart-library.com%2Fcat-cliparts-transparent.html&t=ZDc2YTNlOWEzOTBlNjI1MGM5ZGMzNDFiOTNjYjkwODJlN2Q2ZDY4NyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [4](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vexels.com%2Fpng-svg%2Fpreview%2F144340%2Fplaying-dog-silhouette-posing&t=YjY4YjliNDY5YzQ5ODEwNmE2ZTc4ZjQ1NGQ1OTliYWIyYTUyNDhiYSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1).



## Extra Bonus

  1. Song 1: “Riverdance” (Cloudsong) (by Bill Wheelan); Artists: Anúna; Album: Riverdance; Youtube channel: UCSjWBRfuPRL0qfTM4FIySIQ; Published on Sep 15, 2018.
  2. Song 2: “The Song We Were Singing” (by Paul McCartney); Artist: Paul McCartney; Album: Flaming Pies; Youtube channel: nowhereman113; Published on Apr 25, 2013
  3. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fhandluggageonly.co.uk%2F2015%2F08%2F02%2Fyou-need-to-visit-this-tiny-little-heart-shaped-island-in-the-middle-of-nowhere%2F&t=NTE5NjNlYzM3YTZjZDNkM2EwNDdmODQzYWIzNDEyNjljMWRkNzIxYixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Fbakken-b%25C3%25A6ck%2Fmaking-our-own-emoji-14538d6088a&t=Y2I3MzIwYjlmMDNhOTNmZDM3MjkxYzYyYjdmNzViYmMwMDdlZDhmNSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Frlz%3D1C1CHZL_pt-BRBR683BR683%26q%3Driver%2Bimages%26tbm%3Disch%26source%3Duniv%26sa%3DX%26ved%3D2ahUKEwihrPWK2tngAhUiC9QKHRdpBU8QsAR6BAgEEAE%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D937&t=YjYyMDhiOGY5ZTIzMmIzMTJkZmI0OWI3YTY1N2YwZjM5ODEzZWE1NixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1).




	2. For those reading from a smartphone

 

This fanfic (my first adventure into this new literary genre) was originally posted for the 2019 CS[ March Madness](https://tmblr.co/myAh8rHIKGSryToaTMTGT4g).

The story is set after season 7 with a narrative focused on Wish Emma and Wish Killian without changing the canon status of the whole series but aiming at establishing a more consistent (despite nonlinear) flow of time, as well as a more balanced and less ambiguous redemption pattern for ex-villains, thus leading to more fairly earned happy endings.

The concept upon which the story was created is a musical novel that can be played through the combination of an illustrated text and song links although reading it only does not compromise at all its fruition. To achieve a better fruition of the story, however, it is recommended for the reader to listen to the songs in the links, as they appear, and to pay attention to the lyrics - if there is one, and also to take a time to look at the illustrations placed right after the links. The reason is that the songs are an intrinsic part of the story; they close the narrative of a segment and introduce the next one, inserting an interval for the transition between them. Together with the illustrations they smooth the transition and provide continuity to the narrative. 

To avoid distraction or excessive information, it would be better to open a secondary tab in the browser (for those on a PC) exclusive for the song links so that, while the front tab displays the story and illustrations, the video, hidden in a second plane, may be listen in the background. For smartphone, it is possible to duplicate the tabs on screen or, alternately, it is easy to set up ‘YouTube in the background’.

The story is structured in 7 movements (or suites) within which there are two segments: ‘opus 1’, for Wish Emma, and ‘opus 2’, for Wish Killian. Therefore, there are two types of transition: between opus and between movements. The goal of the structure is to create, through the division into two opus at each movement, a choreography danced alternately by them until the moment they find each other and dance together– that happens in the 8th (and final) movement. At the end, as an extra bonus, a timeline table with 20 tags summarizes a proposal for the narrative flow taking as main references the storylines of the two Emmas and the two Killians throughout the 7 seasons of OUAT added to a hypothetical season 8 ([The Final Season](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1472651) series), which would then correspond to The Sweet Suite (Season 8 - Part 1) and [Body and Soul (Season 8 - Part 2)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20376400/chapters/48324475).

I would like to thank @[xemmaloveskillianx](http://xemmaloveskillianx.tumblr.com/) ([xHookedonKillianx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xHookedonKillianx/pseuds/xHookedonKillianx) on AO3) for creating the CS March Madness, for accepting my request to participate of it, for inviting me to a Discord group with so many talented fanfic writers, and for opening a slot for a CS 2.0 story - that meant a lot to me. I would also like to express my gratitude to @[profdanglaisstuff](http://profdanglaisstuff.tumblr.com/) ([profdanglais ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/profdanglais/pseuds/profdanglais) on AO3) for her patience in beta reading part of the first draft and for her English corrections and suggestions. Overall, I dedicate this story to all fanfic writers who over the years have been spreading feelings of love, joy and peace, always shining without the need to dim the light of others, always through their love for two characters personified by the fine art of Jennifer Morrison and Colin O'Donoghue, creators of what today we refer to as 'CS'. With this story I propose that CS represents not only Captain Swan but also Captain Sweet. At last, I thank you, reader, for, hopefully, reading the story and listening to the songs.

Finally, introducing the concept “illustration on the front tab, building a pause to listen to the song, played in the background”, the transition between this Foreword and the first movement, opus 1, now begins:

[Foreword to Suite N. 1 - Opus 1 (Emma)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DMz27b4lrbeo&t=ZmNmNzFkNjE4ZjhjNzI2YjM3MDA4ZDAzOWViMDM5NDdjOTk5OGQxNSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

“What now?” Emma turns to the sky and asks the stars.

Missy and Luna, almost asleep on the porch, raise their heads in tune and walk up to her feet, wrapping her body in a silent hug.   

Another night, one more night immersed in the eternal pulsing of the sea that surrounds her, rhythmically synchronized with the back and forth motion of the porch swing, cradling the thoughts that wander in the darkness of night. One more night sailing and floating in the waters of her solitude.

With closed eyes, Emma dreams awake while she watches, on the transcendental screen of her mind, the parade of images that another screen has shown her over the last six years.

Six years, in a linear timeline, searching for the answers to so many whens, whys and hows related to what happened on the eve of that anniversary of hers: in a moment, she was in the royal palace, surrounded by her beloved parents, son and dearest friends, the next moment, she found herself surrounded by water on a far-from-every-known-land heart-shaped island… empty of human beings yet full of trees, a flower garden, two domestic animals and a cozy enchanted house.

The wood building provides her with shelter, food, clothing, warmth and comfort. It is a relatively small house, a hut almost, in comparison with the palace where she grew up and lived. It has two bedrooms, a combined living room, dining room and kitchen, a bathroom, a small laundry, a balcony and a special mezzanine. While the former rooms provide sustenance for her physical health, the latter has been her main spiritual refuge, her consolation during sleepless nights and days of longing. It is filled with a few musical instruments that include a piano, a cello and a guitar, books, magazines, notepads, artistic painting material, a gardening tool box and a mirror on the wall - an enchanted screen that, since she figured out how the magic of the house works, has allowed her to watch, in real time and flashbacks, the outside world in many realms, despite the fact that such connection remains unknown to the outside. She remains unknown to everyone, everywhere…

With the perspective of the six years already elapsed and the understanding that came with them, Emma considers, now, that the architect of the island, whoever he or she may be, was inspired and generous when designing it. However, it did not always seem that way. The initial perplexity (about everything) and the hopeless loneliness of those early days were difficult to cope with and it was after a lot of inner struggle and suffering that the light magic with which she was born blossomed and manifested with apparently full power.

Truth be told and credit be given, her love for Music is responsible for placating that emotional turmoil and for showing the path of inner peace. Being the product of her parents’ True Love, Emma was born with a luminous magic generated from her heart. However, before she was born, the nature of her magic, as well as the life of all inhabitants of her realm, was bound to be defined by one important crossroad of Destiny: if Regina, the Evil Queen, succeeded in the war against her parents, Emma would be born empowered with the light magic of a Savior. As it happened, however, with her parents defeating and banishing Regina before her birth, her magic remained dormant, waiting to be activated and released by a real necessity – and that latent possibility only manifested itself upon her arrival on the enchanted heart-shaped land.

During those first days on the island, lost in a labyrinth of intense emotions, Emma could not find the strength to do anything but cry and whine. As the days went by and with the end of the food supplies that she found in the house, she tried to calm down and think of a survival strategy. In the middle of this process, driven by an impulse, she climbed the stairs to the mezzanine, sat down in front of the piano and began to play a song. Having been educated in musical art, Emma sings and plays many instruments with refined skill, and it did not take her too long to become enraptured by the music that began to flow directly from her heart to the piano keys.

She played a sequence of musical pieces she knew by heart, progressively engaging herself in the purest and deepest emotions emanating from the music and, after a while, it was with surprise and relief that she realized that the house had magically awakened. The kitchen shelves became filled with food, the fire in the fireplace started to burn, and the mirror in the mezzanine lit up, like a magic window, focused on her distant realm. In awe, Emma then realized that the music coming from her heart was magic!

Following this new discovery, it did not take long for the mishaps to come. The tragic events, shown by the mirror, that had unfolded back home immediately after her transportation to the island, threatened to emotionally paralyze her again and to extinguish the flame of hope that had just been ignited. To face the reality of the brutal murder of her parents was very hard. It took her time to overcome all stages of sorrow, anger and grief before finally being able to look forward, beyond the mourning, and find the magic within her kindness and sweetness again. For that, she also has to thank Luna, the cat, and Missy, the dog, who have friendly - but in an almost absolute silence - witnessed all stages of her emotional scale.

From that day until now, some whys, whens and hows have been sorted out, some remain yet to be decoded but the light that emanates from her music, the light magic originated from her parents’ True Love, guided her steps during those dark days and nights until finally bringing a new purpose to her life: to honor and keep alive the legacy of her parents, as a tribute to them and as a way to keep herself alive, in the process. In a solemn vow, Emma then decided that she would dedicate her days in the island to nourish the Light that comes from the music played from her heart. She would learn how to use her magic to survive, to go back home, to reunite with Henry, to fix their broken kingdom which, she soon learned, was known in other worlds as the Wish Realm. Last, and most importantly, her magic music revealed the existence of her True Love, whom she discovered (because of the strong heart beating every time he appeared on the screen but also by the logical parallel with Emma Swan) to be Captain Killian Jones, also known as Wish Captain Killian Jones.

Since then, through her magic mirror she has seen many worlds and got acquainted with many realities. She got to know Emma Swan, the Enchanted Forest Savior, married to her True Love pirate, also named Captain Killian Jones. Through her magic screen she also found the alternate versions of Snow White and David ‘Charming’ Nolan, feeling an immediate connection with them. Although she knows that they are not her biological parents, although she knows she will always feel the void once filled by her true parents, the essence of what they were is preserved in Emma Swan’s parents; their mere existence has been a balm of hope and comfort to her heart.

Once, as she zapped through images on the magic screen, the clarity about what was behind the unexplained events she sought to find showed up, for the first time, in its fullness. With a mixture of indignation and perplexity, she watched, in flashbacks, all machinations of the Evil Queen, in a split-version of her, for sending Emma Swan from Storybrooke to the Wish Realm – some of those whens and whys, and at least in part, a few hows started then to be answered and, from that point on, new questions would be formulated and more answers would have to be sought.

Progressively, the more she watched, the greater the need for a broader understanding grew, which meant that much of her time was filled up in these ‘transcendental cinema’ sections. The very fact that she is now familiar with the customs and artifacts of more technological societies is a testament to how much she has learned and apprehended through her window into the worlds. The books stored in the mezzanine, she soon discovered, brought her complementary knowledge, insights and visions that opened her consciousness to absorb the multiple realities that appeared before her senses.

Of the many ‘movies’ she watched, she remembers fondly those who spoke most to her heart, by the closeness with people - she would discover, would be an essential part in the unfolding of her own destiny. She remembers watching the other version of Henry, Henry Mills, venturing into a second alternate Enchanted Forest, one where time runs outdated and faster than, at least, four realms: the Land without Magic, Storybrooke, the Enchanted Forest and the Wish Realm (which she sometimes thinks would be better named as ‘the Wish Enchanted Forest’). Because of his incursions into the 2nd Enchanted Forest, Henry Mills aged faster than her Henry and everybody else in those other realms. During this period, the older Henry met a 2nd version of Cinderella and fell in love with her. In one of their adventures he put himself in a messed up context that demanded a prompt help. Facing death, Henry remembered that he had a magic bottle given by his stepfather, Killian, for sending a call for help in case of emergency. The magic bottle reached two Killian Joneses, that is, one from the Enchanted Forest (living in Storybrooke), the other from the Wish Realm - and that caused their paths to cross in the 2nd Enchanted Forest. This way, for helping Henry Mills and Cinderella, three people specially closed to her heart showed up and gathered together there: Emma Swan, Killian Jones and old ‘man Killian Jones (Wish Killian).

She remembers as she watched, with much interest and a strange sense of tightness in her heart, when old Killian finally got to meet Emma Swan, for the second time, and his younger version, for the first time. Watching those particular meetings brought many of her important quests to a full circle.

In fact, it took her a lot of flashbacks in the mirror to understand the mismatch between the two Killians’ ages, but she got it, eventually. She even sketched a lot of timelines to synchronize all events aiming at determining the fundamental instant that defined the splitting of paths when the two Emmas took two divergent routes. She figured out that it happened when her late husband, Baelfire (or Wish Bae), decided to go back home and face his father willing to reconcile with him when he returned from Wish Neverland, whilst the other Bae (or, Neal Cassidy), disappointed with his father's love of power that dark magic gave him, went straight to the Land without Magic. That unfolded a multitude of subplots ending up with Wish Rumple not needing Wish Regina to cast a Dark Curse. What neither W. Regina nor W. Killian, who had also just arrived coming from Wish Neverland, knew was that W. Rumple had deceived the two of them, living up to the condition of W. Dark One - which he never ceased to be. He kept secret the fact of his reconciliation with W. Bae and made W. Regina believe that with his help she would prepare a Dark Curse. However, behind her back he secretly helped W. Blue to defeat W. Regina by taking her powers. On the other hand, by deceiving W. Killian, he wanted him to go to the Land without Magic thinking that all inhabitants of the W. Enchanted Forest, including W. Rumple, would be sent there by the Dark Curse. Instead, W. Rumple moved on and enjoyed a quiet life with his son and his new wife, Wish Belle. That led her Killian (oh, my Killian), to be met by a fugitive Wish Regina who negotiated with him the pursuit of a rare magic flower, hidden in the 2nd Enchanted Forest, in exchange for support in his revenge against the Dark One.

This ‘little’ adventure of her Killian ended up leading him to an enchanted tower where, seduced by a witch (Mother Gothel), and under her spell, he became the father of a baby girl, Alice. Unfortunately for his little ‘Starfish’ baby, immediately after being born she was condemned by her own mother’s dark magic to be imprisoned in the enchanted tower (in exchange for her mother’s freedom). Killian, already enraptured by the baby girl and because of his golden heart and sense of responsibility, gave up of his revenge to live in the tower and take care of his precious child instead.

Wandering through her own past memories and seeing how they fit perfectly into the whole timeline, Emma remembers, back in the Wish Realm, her deceased husband Wish Bae. From the moment they met it didn’t take long for her to be enraptured and captivated by his tenacity. She soon fell in love with him and they would marry when she was only 17 years old, almost 13 years younger than him. A year later, their son, Henry, was born. At the same time, in the Land without Magic, Emma Swan gave birth to her son with Neal Cassidy, also named Henry.

When her Henry was 10 years old, Wish Regina came back in secret from her exile, still following her damned revenge motto, to kidnap him. In the process she had to take Wish Belle with her, just because Belle happened to be with Henry that day. For Regina’s bad luck and, thank God, Henry’s fortune, she was forced to run away again shortly after that because Bae was able to interfere and free Henry. Unfortunately, he was unable to free Belle, who remained a prisoner in secret captivity (where she ended up starving to death). Furthermore, to everyone’s grief, her husband Bae died in this endeavor, as a hero. Immediately afterward, his desperate father switched back to the maddened and dangerously infuriated Dark One persona. Thus, sadly but for security reasons, Wish Rumple would be imprisoned in the royal palace dungeon by the fairies, under Wish Blue’s leadership.

Meanwhile, in Alice’s tower, her Killian was experiencing a spiritual growth forged in unconditional paternal love combined with a high dose of frustration because of Alice’s incarceration… it breaks Emma’s heart every time she thinks about that. However, seeing now, after knowing how things have evolved for him, she is deeply touched by the beauty of his journey into overcoming his fall into the abyss of hopelessness - which happened when Alice was still a girl…

At that time, because of a desperate moment of vulnerability caused by his own impotence in freeing his daughter, Killian took action in the form of a couple of bad decisions that culminated with his heart being magically poisoned by Gothel. The crux of Gothel’s curse condemned Alice and him to being unable to stand physically close to each other anymore. No matter how much he tried, his fall into the abyss became predictable and inevitable as he spent years searching in vain for the cure of his poisoned heart.

Ironically, the healing process of his disease would be, finally, triggered when he was already a hopeless drunk old ‘man, back in the Wish Realm. Emma Swan, the Savior, started the healing, unknowingly, during their first meeting, just by standing close to him, by letting herself to be known. If only for having activated the process, she will be eternally grateful to Emma. In this entire story, because of the split-Evil Queen’s wish, a high price has been paid by her parents, her brave and unforgettable (Wish) parents, by her (Wish) son and by herself, Emma Nolan – or, as some people call her, Emma ‘Sweet’ - trapped on a heart-shaped island. Nevertheless, for what is worth, Emma Swan’s brief stay in the Wish Realm was essential for Killian’s heart healing.

By the time she watched those events, although with the cloud still blurring, the mystery of her connection with Wish Killian had already dispersed enough for her to intuit that he was indeed the romantic true love of her life, with whom she was destined to share the strongest bond. Looking closely, it seems that the four of them share a deep connection, the two Emmas and two Killians. As a matter of fact, after her Killian first met Emma Swan, during her short stay in the Wish Realm, he stopped drinking and embarked on a new journey in search of the Savior, of that ‘Emma Swan’ whom, he learned, was the True Love of the other version of himself. In his somewhat crooked rationale, he concluded that receiving a True Love kiss from the Savior would heal his heart…

“Oh my poor naive old man…” She sighs.

Anyway, the rescue of Henry Mills led them all to meet: Emma Swan-Jones, Killian Jones and Wish Killian Jones. And that was when the real ‘fun’ began…

To begin with, with blood magic, Wish Killian rejuvenated back to the same age of Killian. He then planned to trick Emma Swan into true love kissing him but, instead, as soon as he heard that she was pregnant, his golden heart - despite almost dying after being wounded by a stab, shone brighter than the brightest star in the sky and gave up of his (nonsensical) plan. He was willing to sacrifice his own life so that the ‘other Killian’ could live the experience of fatherhood but, then, in gratitude and sensitive to the nobility of that gesture, this same ‘other Killian’ asked his wife to use her magic for healing the deadly wound.

Very touched by these memories, Emma remembers the emotional scene displayed on the magic screen: the moment when the wound was healed and the magic poison began to be neutralized by the strength of real Belief, infused by Emma Swan-Jones’s light magic on him. She will never ever forget the beautiful expression of hope and gratitude shining from his eyes, the renewed energy that would drive him into new narratives (including a new curse). Deep down, from the connection she feels with him, she knows that throughout all events that unfolded he would be pushed not only by his love for Alice but also, as part of a secret whose existence he suspects but does not yet know for sure, by the strength of their love - always silent though always present.

During all this time, although trying to respect his privacy, she has accompanied his journey in all of its ups and downs, always supporting and loving him from her lonely spot. Regardless of what she saw - or will see - through the magic screen, whose job has been to bring clarification and understanding of historical facts, what matters most is what she feels in her heart. And her heart has pulsated in sync with his, with her son’s, and with Alice’s as well, whom she has learned to love as her own daughter. She has suffered through their defeats, cried over their sorrows, vibrated with their achievements. She has dreamed sweet dreams of them all - especially of Killian, her softer version of Killian Jones…

She knows that Killian’s heart is now cured and luminous. She hopes that, soon, he will be ready to listen to her call because she feels she is ready to call him. She needs him to find her, to get her off the island and present her to the new world, the United Realms. She daydreams  of the day they will walk, holding hands, the paths that lead to her Henry, to his Alice and to all his – or rather their friends. She dreams of the day when together, as a whole, the two of them will be completely and utterly happy.

Before deserving such absolute happiness, Emma is aware that not everything will be flowers along her way, but this is Life. In addition to overcoming the physical obstacles that today separate her from her loved ones, she knows that she still has to battle some inner demons lacking in evolution. In particular, there is one that will require her special attention and a concentrated effort on her part.

During the last 6 years, it was and still is really hard to understand and forgive all of Regina’s actions (no matter of how many Reginas that may be out there), but she understands and already accepts that their Fate has always been drawn by mysterious lines - and that holds true for all Emmas, and Killians, and Reginas, and Henrys, and Rumples, and everyone else in their multiple versions: the peaks have been as high as deep have been the valleys.

She is quite aware of the high price in suffering and loss that Regina has paid along her way, but she also sees how difficult it has been for any Regina to really learn from the many lessons that life has repeatedly and recursively taught her. Basically and in summary, if learning to feel with a heart more compassionate and less self-centered and, also, to take responsibility, with true empathy and altruism, for the consequences of her acts might be considered Regina’s main challenges (and maybe her experience as the ‘Good Queen’ will finally provide what she needs to get there), learning acceptance and complete forgiveness might be hers.

For getting there, she hopes to count on the patience of her ‘detective’ by her side, pushing and supporting her when things get hard.

All considered and filtered, at least for one thing she is really thankful to the ‘Good Queen’: she was able to help her son, her Wish Henry, to come back to Light when his heart was corrupted by his grandfather’s darkness. She may not approve of Regina’s method to get that but she is thankful anyway. She may not approve of her trying to ignore and erase from Henry’s life the existence of his real mother and, then, trying to be a replacement for his real mother in his heart. So, still…

… it is hard. And because of that, she resents Regina… for not being considerate enough when it comes to King Henry’s origins, for not having, until now, used her knowledge in Magic to research about the existence of an alive Wish Emma, maybe cursed, maybe lost… no matter what, for sure separated from her beloved ones since that evil wish of hers (sort of hers). She resents her lack of mentions and thoughts at least on the tiny possibility of an alive Wish Emma.

The only persons that she feels (and knows, by witnessing some conversations of them) that really consider the possibility of her being alive are Wish Killian (by far the most active believer), Wish Henry (when wandering alone, dreaming of his real mom), Emma Swan-Jones & Killian Jones, Alice & Robyn, David & Snow, and Henry Mills (always an inquisitive mind).

Despite so many people thinking of her, she believes that only one is really available and willing to try and find her. At the moment, Emma & Killian are too busy enjoying the cuteness of their beautiful daughter, Hope. David and Snow have a son to look after besides their farm and school activities, which now include the commitment Snow assumed with Lancelot and Guinevere to promote an exchange between students of Storybrooke and Camelot. Henry Mills has a wife and a daughter to be devoted to. Her Henry is much too involved with royalty while being pampered by the ‘Good Queen’. Alice and Robyn, on a honeymoon phase, live the enchantment of their love. As for her Killian, * sigh *, although happy to participate - as a father, a father-in-law, a detective in Storybrooke, a friend, a ‘twin-brother’, a ‘brother-in-law’, and an uncle - of everyone’s happiness, in his innermost self, she can feel, there is a void. Deep down he longs for someone that he feels but doesn’t know for sure exists, his lonely and lost love…

She would like so much to show up and be present in his daily life… to talk to him and play her music for him to listen to, to listen to him talking, singing… to touch him, to love him. She longs so much for the love and friendship that she knows her Killian has to offer her.

She believes in their True Love connection – she knows, not rationally but with her heart, somehow, that their journey, related to the magic alchemy of their hearts, is still to be completed, maybe through a magic sequence of songs, like in a sequence of movements in a suite.

“We could find each other this way!! Gods above help me but I think I found the magic way, I believe I got it!” Emma exclaims while caressing absently Missy and Luna, who had jumped into her lap, “it’s so clear and obvious that these are not just random ideas, they are hints of a path, they make sense! They really do make sense!!”

And so, like a snap in her nocturnal rumbling, all of a sudden, the enlightenment arrives in a flash bringing the certainty that the Time has finally come. She smiles, excited at the comprehension of the enormity of this particular moment, of tonight out of all nights. She feels it deep in her heart, in her hands, in her vocal cords. So many events are displaying in her mind; so many characters in parallel versions of themselves are dancing an ethereal waltz that only she can see and hear; so many plots and narratives being written and figured out, so many timelines being decoded…

She has learned so much in these 6 years, the same years after which so many realms have been reunited and now coexist without barriers between them in their infinite possibilities, infinite realities…

Everybody has achieved so much, come so far and, yet, here she is, still trapped on her lonely hearty island, lounging, dreaming of him, her Killian, her True Love that doesn’t even know for sure that she exists – “well, not yet!!”

She feels the magic, vibrating and pulsating in her veins, pumped by her heart. The here & now has come and her music is ready to float and set sail. She stands up with her heart almost bursting, enters the house and climbs the stairs to the mezzanine, a dam of emotions about to burst.

Preparing to channel the power of her loneliness and send it through space to the heart of her love, thus announcing her existence and her need to fill the emptiness of her heart, she sits at the piano. A deep sense of prayer begins to rise to the gods carrying the cry of a solitude that has fueled so many dreams and generated so many memories of a dreamlike time filled with happy passages lived next to Killian - projections of a future that has become a past without ever having gotten to be a present.

“No more fantasies, life is real, the present is now”. Closing her eyes and breathing deeply, she hears, coming from an ethereal space, the keystroke of an old typewriter starting to write their story - at the same time she thinks on him and begins to play and sing the first movement, Overture - Opus 1, of ‘The Sweet Suite’:

[Suite N. 1 - Opus 1 (Emma) to Suite N. 1 - Opus 2 (Killian)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRNLYqFbvio)

“EMMA!!” he shouts.

Killian’s accelerated heartbeat awakens him from a deep sleep, bringing a restlessness that does not translate into words. Still overwhelmed by the emotion he cannot explain, he gets up and walks through the dark house with the familiarity of those who have become accustomed to the distribution of furniture, walls and empty spaces. At the front and left of the bed there is the kitchen counter, to the right the dining table, the front door, a music set in a bookcase, the reading armchair and the staircase leading to the mezzanine, occasionally occupied by Alice and Robyn when they come to visit.

“Water”, he says, feeling the thirst to drink pure, crystalline, almost magical water, and walks to the kitchen to pour a glass.

“Music”, whispers in his ears a feminine voice from beyond, “music to calm down and relax.”

The disc collection is extensive and eclectic, featuring soundtracks and playlists for all kinds of mood. In his cursed passage through Hyperion Heights, as Rogers, Killian got into the habit of collecting albums of all styles and eras, as well as practicing three ancient habits of his: playing chess, painting on canvas and reading (he devours from modern fiction and nonfiction novels to scientific essays – especially those on human psyche, science fiction, mystery stories, detective novels and superhero comics) - habits he did not want to give up when he moved to Storybrooke. On the contrary, he cultivates them more and more, although he now intends to include another passion: sailing. Since his old comrade Smee and his Jolly Roger landed in Storybrooke two weeks ago, his love for navigation was reborn.

“Good ‘old mate Smee”, he sighs, shaking his head gently and smiling as he drinks the water.

“What new surprise does Destiny have in store for me?” Killian wonders. “Perhaps something even greater than the peaceful coexistence, in the same town coast and time, of two perfectly identical ships named the Jolly Roger, two first mates with a reasonably strong resemblance named Smee, two identically devilishly handsome captains named Killian Jones, and, perhaps… two identically beautiful and defiantly willful women named Emma?” he chuckles dreamily.

Being late at night - or very early in the day, it doesn’t matter, he knows that sleep is gone. And so he decides to sit in his favorite chair after having randomly drawn a Neil Young album, which starts to play and to harmonize with his heartbeat. A soft ballad echoes through the light atmosphere of the loft, almost ethereal, cozy and simply sophisticated - just like its vintage decor. “It was very kind and considerate of Snow and David,” he tells himself looking around, “to have offered me their old residence in Storybrooke”.

As a matter of fact, the loft was kept closed for many years, preserved intact for when anyone in the Charming family needed a home. For a while Snow and David thought that Henry might be interested in taking up residence in Storybrooke after coming back from his travels, and the loft would be perfect for him. Reality, however, proved different and the married father Henry Mills, for obvious reasons, declined their offer. “Luckily for me”, he smiles, thinking of the tranquility with which he has lived in recent times. Rarely does he need to drive his car; the places he usually goes to are close enough for a walk. “Basically: Grannys', Killian and Emma’s, the police station, a few shops in the local commerce area, the harbor…”

Things were not so quiet until very recently, though. Only after the intense buzz that followed the unification of all the Enchanted Realms and the coronation of Regina, the ‘Good Queen’, had finally quieted, the inhabitants of the United Realms gradually began to find new references, new balance, and Life reclaimed its natural course.

For Killian, a major move was not necessary since Alice and Robyn got married right after the coronation and decided to travel the worlds on a prolonged honeymoon. They keep in touch though and, from time to time, return to Storybrooke - they stay, as guests, in the loft for a few days but soon go back to the road. Sometimes they visit Zelena and her husband in San Francisco, but mostly they live exciting adventures in enchanted realms or in some exotic country of the Land without Magic. For them it does not matter that much where they are, as long as they are together and adventurous.

It is ironic, oh sweet irony of life, that now that Alice and her Papa can stand physically close to each other, they can actually touch and hug, they rarely do so. If on the one hand it is ironic, on the other it is what we can call the ‘natural order of life’ for a father to realize that his daughter is a healthy, emancipated, full-grown adult who lives a life of true love with a faithful, loyal, affectionate and friendly companion – a daughter that is happy and free. What more could this old man’s heart wish for his beloved Starfish?

Combined with the support he gives Killian at the Police Station (two pirates taking care of Law & Order!!) now that Emma spends more time with Hope, the idea of setting up residence in Storybrooke seemed to be simpler and the most natural one. It was not a purely rational decision, but fundamentally it was a choice guided by his heart. And who is to understand the mysteries of the heart? These pearls are always best explored in the wanderings of lonely nights – “such as tonight…” he says out loud.

Thus, although having no formal ties to the inhabitants of the city, the emotional ties with some special inhabitants manifested themselves and guided his footsteps. If he was guided by logical reasoning only, his friendly coexistence with Regina during their years in the 2nd Enchanted Forest and during the curse at Hyperion Heights would make her the person with whom he would most closely relate now. However, while maintaining a close and healthy friendship with ‘the Queen’, that was not quite the case. Of course, she will always be able to count on him in any eventual rough sea, but during the crossing of calm waters, as it happens now, it is not with her that he relates more - it is with Killian, Emma and their little Hope. Once they managed to overcome the initial awkwardness of dealing with two Killian Joneses with the exact same origin and same past – up to a turning point, of course - their relationship flourished and set sail.

The problem of two people named Killian Jones was a minor aspect of the whole picture and was simply solved after a few suggestions for what to address him: ‘Detective’, ‘ K.J.’ or ‘Killian Rogers Jones’. In general all of them are used, or variations thereof. For simplicity, Killian often calls him ‘Detective’ or, alternatively, ‘K.J.’. Emma prefers to call him ‘K. Jones’, although sometimes she uses ‘Killian Rogers’. As for Hope, she started recently to talk and decided to call him ‘Uncle Key’ which, he strongly suspects, will influence her parents to simply call him ‘Key’, wait and see…

Once the problem of identical names was solved, the physical similarity between the two was not as such a major factor as one might suppose. The divergent trajectories that the two took reflect in their appearance and footprint. Despite the common taste for darker shades of clothing (leather, in general), life experiences shaped their styles and personalities differently. Thus, in opposition to his ‘twin’, Killian presents himself more discreetly, without the earring, rings and eyeliner and without the chest on display. Not to mention that he has a much more intensive and extended training, from his own experience in Hyperion Heights, in dealing with modern technologies, many of which he has introduced to Storybrooke. Among them, he is proud of having modernized the computing technology, now up-to-date with the advances in the Land without Magic. Killian’s greatest achievement is presenting to his ‘brother’ the use of a brain-controlled prosthesis, thanks to the latest advances in neuroscience. For Killian ‘Rogers’ Jones his prosthesis is an integral and natural part of his body, providing a noticeable improvement in dexterity. Since he came to Storybrooke, the other Killian has been more open to its use and to replacing his old hook, however reluctantly.

Apart from the issue with names and disability, the privilege he and Killian share does not escape them. On the contrary, whenever they can, they take full advantage of their unique affinity. The possibility of living close to one’s own ‘reflection’, who shares an exactly equal  past and who is, at the same time, a separate entity, with his own individuality and, from a certain moment along a timeline that already stretches for more than three centuries, with diverse history and life experiences, is indescribable. Of course, it’s also quite scenically interesting and a reason for friendly mocking, especially on the part of David and Henry Mills during family gatherings.

Family … Without being able to determine the exact moment when he felt integrated into this new family, the fact is that it happened naturally and simply, they are Family. Suddenly, his universe expanded and his heart came to be inhabited by new residents - all very dear, all much loved.

Equally difficult to explain is his visceral urge to approach and protect her son, young King Henry, to bring him closer to his life and his family. He feels such a strong empathy towards Henry that it surprises him in its level of intensity. Even more interesting has been Henry’s positive response to this approach, as if on his part the need for approximation is also organic. The simplest argument to explain the symbiosis between the two of them would be to attribute it to their common origin, namely the Wish Realm. But Killian knows it’s more than that, even though he cannot put his finger on this wound - which is not even a wound, on the contrary, it may be one of his missions in life, if not the main mission of his life. He wishes…

“I wish… that Wish Emma were real”, he bursts out, remembering the last conversation he had with Henry, after which the concept of this ‘mission’ has been solidifying, gaining form and content…

_“Henry, tell me about your mother, your biological and true mother, who raised you during your childhood and part of your teenage years…” Killian asked Henry when he came to visit, a week ago, and stayed in the loft. “How did she disappear?”_

_“That is a question I’ve been asking myself for six years, Killian,” Henry replied reticently. “I do not know. I mean, what I do know is that there was a time when she was replaced by Emma Swan, but I have no idea if she evaporated into the air, or if she was bewitched, or imprisoned… I have already considered so many hypotheses, I have even consulted some magicians and fairies, but no one has been able to formulate an answer which I find satisfactory and believable.”_

_“Have you ever asked Regina, since you two have been very close to each other?” Killian questioned, quite interested in the subject. “Would she have any plausible ideas about your mother’s whereabouts?“_

_“Yeah, I have. She believes that my mother, most likely, died - not as my grandparents died, but as someone who has disintegrated into the ether, something like what happened to the love of her life, Robin Hood, but in Mom’s case as a price for the magic. She told me that the genie who granted the wish of the split-Evil Queen warned about a price to be paid for the wish of ‘Emma Swan not being born a Savior’…”_

_“Well, that may be a reasonable assumption, but somehow I feel that it may not correspond to the truth. Just as an exercise, forget what Regina believes.” Killian interrupted him. “My question then is: what do you feel in your heart, Henry?”_

_“Honestly? I’m not sure, it is a conflicted feeling, or a battle between feeling and reasoning, I don’t know for sure. Just as my mother was not born a Savior, I was not born the Truest Believer, I guess. I want to believe, I swear I do! I do hope that by some miracle she’s alive, but with reasoning, when I think about it, I cannot believe it”, Henry admits. “For some years I have led expeditions throughout the kingdom in search of her. No one has ever seen or heard of anything…”_

_“Perhaps she is not in the Wish Realm…” Killian wondered and then looked up, resolute, “Henry, my boy, please listen to me. I promise to study this case from new angles; I’ll approach it with new perspectives. I’m not sure myself either, but I feel that I am close to your mother and to everyone and everything related to her story - you included, in a way that goes beyond any rational explanation. I should take advantage of the fact that I’ve been trained by investigative experiences – cursed and non-cursed, for a reason, and it’s about time to use them. I’ll keep you updated when I find new clues to solve this mystery.”_

_“That would be great, thanks, Killian. This means the world to me…” Henry smiled_  with _sincere gratitude and renewed hope._

“Hope”, Killian repeats while a ballad echoes…

 **"Old man look at my life  
** **I’m**   **a**   **lot**   **like you**   **were**  
 **Old man look at my life**  
 **I’m a lot like you were..."**

Neil Young’s voice floats in the air, and Killian’s thoughts wander with the lyrics.

“Old man, look at my life”, he sings along and adds: “Not any old man but a certain one, an old mate Rumpelstiltskin, a certain Mister Gold”.

“G’old…” he whispers slowly, “G’old man…”.

 **"Old man take a look at my life  
** **I’m a lot like you**  
 **I need someone to love me**  
 **The whole day through**  
 **Ah, one look in my eyes**  
 **And you can tell that’s true..."**

If there is in his entire history a part that causes him a deep and latent pain, it is the story of the two perfect antagonists, the enemies whose fates have intertwined in such a way that they have overcome barriers of time and space. Indeed, looking closely, there are four antagonists in an even more intricate mesh - and this is one of the favorite philosophical topics between him and the other Killian, such as in their conversation at Killian and Emma’s house two nights ago.

_“Who or what are we?” asked ‘Killian Jones’ to ‘K.J.’ on that summer afternoon. “I mean, who are the four of us, the four old men: me, you, Rumple and Wish Rumple. What kind of bizarre square do we form?”_

_“Putting in this way - which had not occurred to me before, but is indeed a fascinating association, what comes to mind is a square inserted in a circle, much studied in psychoanalysis,” K.J. replied. “Jung developed fantastic theories about a three becoming a four, the symbol of quaternity: a state of greater wholeness than a trinity. He had gathered instances of the same move across a range of human activities, from the geometry of mandalas to theology.”_

_“That’s really interesting…” Killian ponders. “For me, before I knew about the Wish Realm, I saw myself and the Crocodile as a perfect pair of foils, a perfect model of enemies destined for a final clash from which only one would survive. Our stories and destinies seemed to be forged in the same furnace and would stretch for centuries” Killian pondered as he took a sip of rum. “But then you happen to exist as a duplicate of myself and also there was another Rumple as a duplicate of ‘my’ Rumple, all of us with destinies defined by a crossroads in time. Note that whether I say that you are a duplicate of me, or that I am a duplicate of you doesn’t matter. We both exist with the inherent complexity and intricacy of every human being.”_

_“Indeed, and what different destinies we had!” K.J. remembered, sipping an iced tea._

_“Aye, our destinies unfolded in a completely different way, in terms of fundamentals and priorities, the moment one Regina cast the Dark Curse and the other Regina did not. The lack of a Dark Curse in the Wish Realm led you onto the path of fatherhood, which made you relinquish your vengeance at the same time that I invested all my cards in my revenge plan. Although ‘your’ Rumple was still your enemy, Mother Gothel became your greatest one, defeating Rumple was no longer your priority.”_

_“Killian, you see, despite so many differences along the paths we walked, the greatest irony in our story is that, in the end, it was with ‘your’ Rumple that my path crossed in the 2 nd Enchanted Forest and in Hyperion Heights. It was with me that he developed and deepened a greater friendship.” K.J. remembered, with a melancholic smile. “Mr. Gold - ‘Weaver’ - became my daughter’s protector, became my best friend during really tough times and, in the name of this friendship, which he confessed in one of his last moments, to have been what he always felt for me, or better saying, for you, or for us - he offered me his ultimate sacrifice, his own life, his own heart.”_

_“That’s bittersweet… I don’t even know how I feel about that. Rumple and I never had such an opportunity for resolving our differences the way you had with him. I mean we never cut the edges - and we had a lot - of our disagreements and his betrayals - you know, Dark One stuff. While you were living your story with Alice, for me ‘Mr. Gold’ translated into a Dark One that brought successive problems and obstacles for my happiness. I even understand that he spared my life on several occasions in the name of this weird friendship, confessed on the eve of dying. But there’s a taste of bitter, unfinished story, in my mouth. Anyway, I am happy for him, for his trajectory, to have been able to break free from the darkness, meet his Belle and to save your life in the process. Despite his dark and badly concluded history with Milah, theirs – I mean his and Belle’s history – may have some questionable passages with abuse and betrayal, from his part, but in the end it has proved to be a triumphant true love story, after all, and from their love a wise sorcerer was born, Gideon. For my part, deep down, the fate of Milah’s soul aside - and that is a strain on a white linen that I still hope to see cleared - I am grateful to Rumpelstiltskin. Simply said, I feel an eternal gratitude; for it was thanks to this madness that he and I lived that I managed to cross time-space barriers and was able to meet with my True Love.”_

_With that, K.J sighed silently, but Killian, quite perceptive, noticed._

_“K.J.” - Killian offered - “has it never occurred to you to wonder about the fate of Princess Emma, I mean, Wish Emma? That is an intriguing topic of great interest to Emma and to me. For Emma, who experienced under her skin the Princess’s essence, the initial impression was that the princess’s personality, being completely opposite to hers, kind of sucked. On the other hand, once things stabilized for us and we had more time and calm to reflect on the whirlwind that we lived during those wild times, the thought and perception of Emma have changed. Today she feels that Princess Emma was a woman of extreme sensitivity and that she had the opportunity to develop a personality marked by gentleness, sweetness, a kind of soft version of my Emma - and that makes sense since Wish Emma was raised by soft versions of Snow and David, who did not have to live under a Dark Curse. Their lives might have floated on a sea of honey until the moment everything became an upside down hell, thanks to the split-Evil Queen.”_

_“Killian, the rational answer to this question I do not have, but I have the response from my heart, from my feelings. What I feel is that Wish Emma is alive. Don’t ask me how I know but it is as strong as the pulse of my heart - which is also the heart of our old golden friend.” K.J. states with conviction. “I have been thinking a lot about it and about her, almost organically, as if my life depended on finding her. I set out to look for her; I even promised to her son, King Henry, that I will approach the problem from new angles. Besides, Alice, in her most recent visit, told me during a chess match that she and Robyn have seen new enchanted lands that have not yet been mapped, new islands, new realms not catalogued yet in the United Realms. It’s not much, but it’s a start…”_

_“Excellent news!! Great!” Killian exclaimed with enthusiasm. “I’m not sure if we would be able to travel the worlds with you, but please count on me, Emma, and Hope and – I’m positive that I can tell you in their name too, you also have Henry Mills, Cinderella, Snow and David – and their kids - by your side as a supporting team. At a recent lunch, they confessed to believing that Princess Emma, who in different circumstance could have been Henry’s mother and Snow and David’s daughter, after all, is alive and well, just missing. You know, Henry is the Truest Believer and  Snow is… you know, Snow, with all her talk about Hope and True Love, adding to the mix David’s motto that ‘in our family we always find each other’…”_

“We always find each other…” Killian repeats and looks beyond the walls into the sky.

“Wish Emma, where are you? Are you feeling as lonely as I am?” He says to no one. “From where are you whispering sweet thoughts in my ears, enchanting my heart with a lovely song sung in your dreamy voice, my dearest Sweet? Oh, Sweet Emma Sweet, how I wish you were here…” Killian launches these questions and laments in the air without knowing how they will be heard and answered, if they will be, and when. But he throws them anyway because he misses she whom he doesn’t know yet, the companion to his lonely nights.

He misses feeling attached to a woman in an act of love. Since Milah’s death, all the women he has known intimately did not bring him what he sought, beyond immediate, physical pleasure. None was able to fill the emptiness of his heart. At first he thought it was because his heart was poisoned by revenge, then, later, by Gothel’s spell, but even after he had been healed from the curse by Rumple’s sacrifice, the emptiness remained. He misses feeling romantic love, even though he feels he already loves the one he seeks. He’s not sure if the impulse he feels coming from his transplanted heart is generated by its primary source - a message from Heaven sent by Rumple and his love, Belle, or if it comes from his absent love, wherever she is, trying to become present. In any scenario, the fact is that he misses so much… He just misses…

He misses the high seas, the undulating motion of deep waters, the meeting of immensities in the fusion of sky and ocean, the silence of the soul. He misses the stars, the moon… He misses what he does not know but knows he needs, anyway, because he just needs – as organically and essentially as the need for water, earth, fire, and air. He misses the essential element of life. He misses Love though he loves… he loves Alice, he loves younger Henry, he loves his family of friends, he loves life, he loves reading, he loves sailing, he loves painting, he loves his Emma, he loves her and her… Music – as a pattern that underlies the human experience played out.

After the dream from which he awoke tonight, he senses that, when chosen well, music can guide the psyche to become ordered, connected and able to achieve an emotional, spiritual – or physical desire. And he desires, as a miner digging in the depths of the soul, to find  _her_ , to find for  _her_ and for  _him_ , the enigmatic heartbeat's source setting a pace that brings up the memory of that one special man with a heart of Gold. The one special heart of Gold who aligned his free will with a plot designed by Destiny and sacrificed his old life to continue beating in another chest, a Survivor's chest. With that gesture, Rumple donated not only his purified heart but his primal strength to keep searching for the deep meaning of life and love. A very special heart of Gold, indeed, shining with the resilience and delicacy of shimmering golden threads entwined in an intricate embroidery whose design, Killian feels, begins to be revealed in this mysterious night... 

In the midst of his nightly reverie, and without prior notice, Killian's line of thought is interrupted by the first chords of a song coming from the playlist. It is not any song but the exactly and specifically right song - “and don’t even ask me how I know it is the right song, I just know!” Killian laughs full of hope. While shaking his head to the rhythm of the harmonica and with a conviction that comes from the deepest depths of his heart, he closes his eyes and thinks of her. The certainty that his Emma, his Emma Sweet will listen to him if he sings along with Neil Young suddenly radiates from his heart - somehow, inexplicably, he feels it! And as simple as that, he starts to sing along for her to listen and to acknowledge that… he knows!!

[Suite N. 1 - Opus 2 (Killian) to Suite N. 2 - Opus 1 (Emma)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Du925g6CgKuw&t=MjIwYzczYmE5NGY5NmMyYzU2N2Y4MWZiZjI2OTg4YjY4Y2ExZGEzZCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

The days after the first contact with Killian brought as many hopes as uncertainties. It’s been three days now, during which Emma has devoted herself to a systematic and continuous study - researching in all books available in her small library - that could offer her some advice or answer, any clue to help her in the search of how to proceed on the journey to which both she and Killian have awakened.

In her notebook, Emma has filled in dozens of pages with inconclusive thoughts; many of them are, probably, false leads…

“If only someone, a magician, a fairy, any luminous magical being would come out and explain to me what I need to do!” She sighs anxiously. “It’s all so frustrating, being so close to the path that leads to the clarity of consciousness but having to wander through the darkness of ignorance.”

At that, the meowing and barking of Luna and Missy, which she rarely hears, make themselves present from outside the house, sounding like two children playing, laughing and running to the beach. The company of her two ‘girls’ has always been a balm appeasing her moments of pain, always present in a soft and serene way like the sea breeze.

“Well, maybe, not always serene, just like now. They seem agitated, but in a good, cheerful way…” she says. “Perhaps it’s a good idea to join them… let’s go meet the girls!” Emma exclaims as she gets up from her desk and walks to the balcony.

At the beach, Emma finds her pets swimming and playing calmly, peaceful, or rather floating in the ocean under a surreal combination of blue and sunny light. Immediately, she takes off her clothes and joins them on the vast white sands, welcoming the warm waves. A feeling of tranquility pervades her senses, all the anxiety she had felt before, gone after being washed by the salty waters. Once relaxed and restored she gets out of the sea, puts her clothes on, grabs her pets and walks into the house in a renewed state of mind.

After a refreshing shower and a frugal meal, shared with Luna and Missy, Emma returns to the desk feeling inspired to continue the research and to take notes. 

At the sound of the sea waves crashing on the beach as if they were crying out for some name, an ethereal breeze runs through Emma's mind carrying and bringing certainties and questions, echoing soundless words, signifying from a new angle all the haste and calm experienced in the last six years.

Tuning her ears, Emma closes her eyes and listens to the sound of the wind in the starry infinity, thinking of all the good things she has done, felt, and heard, attaining the privilege and smallness of being a part of this indistinct universe.

Then, opening her eyes and breathing calmly and synchronously with the waves, on a blank page ready to receive her thoughts she begins to write by reproducing the verses of a poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, which she did not even remember knowing by heart, but to her surprise, they sprang from her memory like spurts from a waterfall.

 **“When anxious, uneasy and bad thoughts come,  
** **I go to the sea, and the sea drowns them out**  
 **with its great wide sounds,**  
 **cleanses me with its noise,**  
 **and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me**  
 **that is bewildered and confused.”**

“How should I order what still is a bit of a ‘bewildered confusion’ in my mind?” She wonders…

Breathing in and out slowly, feeling the alignment of ideas that deep breathing provides, she then continues to write:

**The sea, or in a broad perspective, the ocean, seems to be a key to what I seek but…to what does the ocean stands for?**

She thinks for a while on the waves as fluctuations of emotions, summing up her three-day incursions on researching a specific psychology literature, especially in Jungian analytics, and goes on:

**The island and the ocean are taken as archetypal images, a set of symbols produced by the collective unconscious: the refuge island, the paradise island... These archetypes have a source that is lost in time and are found in various cultures where the oceanic-island image dates back to the beginnings of the creation of the world. In the modern world, these images survive in literature as symbols, and so some literary works help to explain the permanence even today of some important symbolic representations of the ocean and islands.**

**From my recent readings, I can say that the sea-ocean image is often linked to that of navigation and crossing. Sailing or erratic traveling of heroes across the sea means that they are exposed to life-threatening challenges usually symbolized by mythological monsters arising from the seabed. Seen from this perspective, the undersea region thus becomes the symbol of the unconscious.**

**I believe that the ocean stands for the soul, for the primal state of emotion and sub consciousness, the ultimate essence of Nature. Somehow, opposing to the intellect, and changing in accordance to the state of emotions that we are feeling, there goes the ocean: stormy, crashing waves - overwhelming emotions threatening to drown us. Peaceful, deep waters – elevated state of mind and spirit.**

“What more?” she questions, before proceeding…

**The ocean also stands for the sub consciousness: the unknown parts of the mind, the unexplored thoughts, emotions and feelings that are not visible on the surface but are represented by dark, hidden depths of the ocean.**

A new pause, new thoughts, and she writes a conclusion: 

**Finally, the ocean stands for the soul: the tranquil, inner part of oneself, which lies at the core of a circle; a still, deep ocean reflects the deepness of the soul. That brings to the next part of the ocean equation: Nature, a primal – core - state, a primal purity, an original condition from which other things arise. The ocean is the origin, the center from which all other things are connected…**

**As the primal root of all existence the ocean calls from within, with a voice sometimes soft, sometimes angry, sometimes sweet, sometimes salty, sometimes severe, sometimes sharp, the ocean calls… Old sailors plunged in the ocean of their memories, children floating in the memories of the maternal womb, to all emotions and feelings - the ocean calls. And they all listen and respond to the call.**

“The ocean calls the sailors…” Emma whispers and then shouts and laughs and cries her oceanic tears while Missy and Luna, waking from a nap, exchange silent glances.

“THAT IS IT!!! I FOUND IT!”

“I know how to call my love, my dearest golden-heart sailor; I just know the music that will pour all my feelings into waves and will oscillate all my ups and downs: a musical piece that is much more of an emotional journey than merely a technically challenging composition. I just know the exact musical etude that will communicate to Killian my emotional state and will tell him how to find me: the answer is in the Ocean that surrounds the island, the Ocean that surrounds my own core. The island is me, the Ocean is my emotions! I just know how to call my love!!!”

She smiles and runs to the piano where, exactly as she predicted, after the first chords she is immediately thrown into a slightly emotional chaos, thus pouring her Soul and Heart into her Call:

[Suite N. 2 - Opus 1 (Emma) to Suite N. 2 - Opus 2 (Killian)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Ds_sfwsVbd4k&t=ZDVmOWQ3MDAwMTg5ZjZiZjc3ODNjODg3YTFmOTZkNTQ2NGE4MjZiZCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

Killian was in Agrabah when he heard Emma’s Call. If on the one hand it was very important that it happened there, on the other hand it was more complicated because he already wanted to leave sailing the Ocean without worrying about any preparations for the journey. Luckily he had not traveled alone, on the contrary. He was accompanied by a large group of family and friends who, after the Call, managed to bring him back from his state of stupor and intense emotion.

The decision to go to Agrabah was a result of Killian’s research at Storybrooke’s library. Although people no longer rely on Belle’s eager readiness to search for information on matters of witchcraft and magic, the library is today the United Realms most important repository of knowledge in the magical sciences, thanks to the efforts of her wizard son, Gideon. In a posthumous tribute to his mother’s memory, Gideon casted a spell on the library search system, turning it into a tool more powerful than any Internet search engine of the Land without Magic.

Because of that, Killian quickly came to an important clue related to genies and the wishes they grant, which could be a crucial factor to what might have happened to Princess Emma the instant Emma Swan replaced her:

**“Jinn are much more than demons or spirits. They’re intelligent, free-willed creatures who live close to nature and are endowed with magical powers. Very much like humans, only more supernatural. Some of them are good, some are evil, and still more are somewhere in-between. We can pretty much count on them being tricksters in one form or another…”**

_“A genie may be good, or evil, and still more are somewhere in-between…” he repeats, “good, intelligent and… in other precious words: Aladdin knows! I need to meet him as soon as possible,” K.J. told Killian and his wife. “You two know him, don’t you?” he asked them._

_“Of course, we know him and his wife, Jasmine, they are good friends of ours,” Emma replied. “K. Rogers”, she said, “the absence of barriers between realms made travel to ex-distant lands very easy. Although it is difficult to reasonably conceive that at the latitude of Maine a desert with torrid sands can be found, at least for us, having secured access to the United Realms, Agrabah exists and proves that it is possible. It is located within a few hours of Storybrooke, by the way, traveling along the seacoast.”_

_“Okay, we should take advantage of everything being quiet and should do it **now**!” Killian Jones exclaimed as he hugged K.J. and headed for the dock. “My Jolly Roger is better equipped for an immediate trip, perhaps in a better state than yours. In the meantime, your mate W. Smee can stay in Storybrooke, coordinating the repairs that your ship needs for sailing, if necessary, as soon as we get back from Agrabah.”_

_Already in his captain mode, Killian made some phone calls and some invitations. K.J. also called Alice, who immediately magically transported herself and Robyn to Storybrooke, and young Henry, who was travelling nearby and also declared himself in. At the end of the day, the entire ‘crew’ was ready to embark: Killian, Emma, Hope, David, Snow, Neal, Henry Mills, Cinderella, Lucy, younger Henry, Alice, Robyn, Mr. Smee (from the Enchanted Forest), and, naturally, K.J., the most interested in the journey._

_The trip, though short, took place in a festive atmosphere, everybody hopeful in finding clues that could help Hope’s ‘Uncle Key’ to find his princess, her ‘Aunt Emm’._

_As soon as they arrived in Agrabah, they were warmly welcomed into the royal palace by a very busy Princess Jasmine, who told them that Aladdin was visiting the local market. In the geopolitics of the United Realms, one of Queen Regina’s functions is to maintain at a peaceful level the balance between hegemonic domination and counter hegemonic thinking, in other words, to avoid the magical, political and cultural domination of one society or kingdom over others. In this way, each realm retains its cultural identity and local governance system as an independent state. In Agrabah, Jasmine and Aladdin are very dear to the people, who live in abundance and prosperity._

_When Aladdin returned from the city, he met with the visiting party and became aware of what had brought them there._

_“All right, so let’s see…” Aladdin inhaled and exhaled deeply, brushing his forefinger against his chin in a thoughtful manner. “As you well said, lamp jinn are intelligent and cunning beings - attributes that, without false modesty, I possess in abundance, and thanks to which I have survived the many misfortunes that have come my way.”_

_“From the time I lived in Storybrooke after the Dark Curse was broken,” Aladdin went on, “I remember concepts from the Land without Magic, known as Quantum Mechanics, which are related to infinite possibilities, infinite worlds - and that’s what the Split-Evil Queen’s wish was all about. That is, she relied on the existence of a realm where the Evil Queen did not cast the Dark Curse and therefore there was no need for the birth of a Savior.”_

_“You were born a Savior too, weren’t you?” Emma interrupted._

_“Yeah,” he replied, and continued, “and every Savior is necessarily bound to a Villain - Jafar, in my case, and Regina, in yours. In the case of Princess Emma of the Wish Realm, being a product of True Love could grant her powers of unprecedented light magic - as it happened to you, Emma – but for her, since the villain, Wish Regina, had been defeated and was powerless, the magic remained dormant. Which does not mean that her light magic does not exist; only that it has been inactive for a long time.”_

_“You mean my mother may have magic?” interrupted young Henry._

_“Potentially yes and in principle her magic power could be developing now, when she may need it to survive where she probably lives. And then we get into what interests you most. Yes, she may be alive; she did not disintegrate into some ethereal space. What happened to her was what I could do in the short time I had between listening to the command of the Split-Evil Queen and executing it, that is, granting her wish. Unfortunately I cannot specify the geographical coordinates of to where she was transported the moment you, Emma Swan, took her place in what we know as Wish Realm. Given the adverse circumstances I was in, I mean, as a slave under the command of the Split-Evil Queen, I had no autonomy to disobey her. I’m actually proud of how I managed to be as tricky as possible. What I did was think of a place that was simultaneously far away, safe, comfortable, hidden, and that offered her means and facilities for her release when the right time came. That’s what I got in the short time I had.”_

_Following an absolute silence in which a lot of information was absorbed and processed by all, several questions began to be asked at the same time in a rush of voices, exclamations and ponderings. All of them spoke out loud except for the most interested of them, Killian ‘Rogers’ Jones. During the fuzz, as if in a trance, Killian closed his eyes and only opened them again to exclaim a single word: **“Ocean**!_”

_New silence in the room followed, all the attention turned to him. He continued, “Emma made contact with me at this very moment, from her heart to my heart… It is difficult for me to explain, it is like by the alchemy of our hearts tuned to a specific song that we communicate, and she just called me! In an intense, exciting way, she called me conveying the idea and pulse of the Ocean. I believe she’s close to the sea, perhaps surrounded by it on some sort of island, would that be possible?”_

_“Aladdin,” Jasmine, who had hitherto been silent, called her husband looking serious into his eyes. “Would that be possible? And why haven’t you told me or anyone else about that before?”_

_To which Aladdin replied “perfectly possible, my love, an island configured as I explained: distant, safe, comfortable, hidden, that is, difficult to be accessed, but offering conditions and facilities for her to be released at the right time. I never told you about that before because I was not in a position to speak, this should not be my job. Believe me; I knew that at the right moment this ball would roll out properly. And from what you describe, K.J., hopefully, the right moment has just arrived,” Aladdin concluded with a generous and optimistic smile._

_And with those fortunate events, the short journey to Agrabah came to an end. After a banquet in honor of the illustrious visitors, their return to Storybrooke was even more festive since they were all very excited with the possibility of the epic adventure that K.J. was about to embark. A journey, according to him, that would be guided by his heart, and her heart, without pre-defined duration and with a world of uncertainties ahead of them. For those reasons, although everyone had offered to accompany him at least for some time, K.J. was adamant: “I thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, I am deeply touched, but I feel that this must be a journey of self-discovery and finding each other in the old and good true love fashion way. And look, there is no need to worry; I intend to take a small crew of well-trained sailors with me: my faithful friend Wish Smee, Kevin Smith, the cook, and Bill Wyatt, an all-work helper. Besides, if Mr. Smee, here present, so wishes, he will be very welcome to join us. Can you imagine that, Killian?” he laughed, and so did Killian, “two Smees on one deck!“ – to that, everybody laughed._

_“Count on me, Captain!” Smee replied, “It will be my pleasure, and a real honor, to accompany you and your mates on such a noble mission.”_

…

“Papa?” Alice calls her father, approaching him on the deck, where he stands looking at the distant Storybrooke harbor, on the horizon.

“Aye, Starfish?” Killian smiles, turning to his daughter whilst opening his arms to welcome her.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to accompany you?” Alice asks, as she snuggles into her father’s embrace.

“Quite sure, love. Though I promise that we will sail together after I come back with my – if it is possible for me to say so, I mean, my Emma. When we come back, I promise we will sail with you, Robyn and Henry as a family”, he sighed, “but for now, I need to go far out on the ocean alone though with just a few men to help me sail the Jolly Roger. I feel like I need to pass  some kind of test, to face my own subconscious, to go deep into my own emotions and my mind…”

“… and find her, your Emma, your true love”, Alice adds.

“Aye, to find my one – but not only - true love. You know that, don’t you?”

“Sure, Papa, as sure as Robyn is my true love too…” Alice replies with a chuckle.

“Rogers!!” shouts an excited Henry, as he approaches, holding Lucy’s hand while talking to younger Henry. “We bring important news, a piece of information that the Author’s Pen from the Wish Realm has just written in Henry’s story book. It was Lucy who first saw it!”

At that, the younger Henry opens his story book while saying:

“Look, Killian, I haven’t used the Author’s Pen since my grandfather W. Rumple died - I thought I was not allowed to use it as an Author anymore because of the way I misused it last time. Despite  that, yesterday, when I was preparing for this trip, I remembered that I always carry it with me, in my personal luggage, in case it decides to work with me again or, maybe, with Henry. I mean, he could be able to reactivate the Author’s Pen to help find my mom… Anyway, and with all commotion in Agrabah I completely forgot that I had brought the Pen. However, a few minutes ago, while I was talking with Lucy and Neal in our cabin, it started to write some really relevant words, like a verse or a riddle… You must take a look at them:”

**To Emma’s call Killian responds singing a song together with those travelling with him. They form a chorus to his call; they form the tear drops of his emotion as everyone comes from the ocean and carries a part of the ocean within.**

With tears in his eyes, Killian reads the crystal clear message and nods his head affirmatively. The overwhelming emotion is so intense that almost hurts and makes him stumble on the deck. Supported by Alice, he takes the smartphone from his coat pocket and searches his playlists for the song that, he senses, will be his calling. As he finds it, he closes his eyes breathing deeply, tuning into his Sweet Emma and into his heartbeat. Gradually, all passengers of the ship, being alerted by Neal, approach the small group, hand in hand, in silence, with deep reverence before such a solemn moment. Even the kids, Neal, Lucy and little Hope (“the cute”, in her own words), at her father’s lap, are circumspect. In the background, Storybrooke’s harbor approaches, bringing another ship closer, the other Jolly Roger being made ready to lead Killian across the Ocean.

Opening his eyes and turning to the open sea, K.J. finally presses  ‘play’ and begins to sing along at the top of his lungs and with the strength of his heart, accompanied by all hearts and voices that, from the deck, chant in chorus:

[Suite N. 2 - Opus 2 (Killian) to Suite N. 3 - Opus 1 (Emma)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D34jZePnMQNQ&t=YmUyZjczOTA1MDg1NDk4YjEyMzlmNDM2YWE2OWRjMDRkMzg3NWY2NSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

The chorus of voices, led by his golden heart, pulsates and echoes through the sky and through the seas. They call and evoke, and to their call, Emma responds. Thus, in the sunny afternoon, as the Jolly Roger approaches Storybrooke’s coast, a beautiful and ethereal woman walks slowly across her deck…

“You are sailing, Killian, to be near me… but, in a way, you are close to me already, not physically yet but… I see you and I feel you, my love, all of you, close to me, dear ones. Do you feel me the way I feel you?…” Emma asks, extending her arms as she walks, translucent and lucid, among the passengers of the Jolly Roger. Eyes closed, everyone feels her presence, but only a single person, a luminous child, feels and sees her in all radiance: Hope,  _‘the cute!’_

From within her purity, in the lap of her father, the little girl smiles at the princess and reaches out to her, as if to caress and comfort her, as if wanting to assert to the beautiful princess, looking so much like her mother ( _‘but you’re not Mommy’_ ),  _‘to not worry, cause Uncle Key will bring you from your_   _island_   _veeeery soon, okaaay?!’_.

Emma smiles at the bright little girl who, hold by her singer parents, swings with them at the rhythm of the music, the three immersed in a wave of Light that translates into a state of peace and hope.

Passing by Snow, David and Neal, tears overflow from Emma’s eyes. She knows that her parents’ longing will be eternal but the love she feels radiating from the Charmings transcends the longing and floods her with a calm conformity.

As she approaches Henry, her dear 21 years old son, her heart almost jumps out of her chest, churning an infinite love for him. He is holding hands with Alice and Robyn, the three of them close to her Killian in the ship’s bow, almost enveloping him with their bodies…

Next to them, Henry Mills, Cinderella and Lucy, hugging and chanting the chorus, vibrate brightly with the strength of their hearts.

At the starboard, Mr. Smee, red cap in hands while rocking his plump body, also sings with emotion and tears in his eyes.

“What a beautiful, vivid and real dream!” she exclaims, overwhelmed by an infinite gratitude. Emma is dreaming, and is aware of that since when she fall asleep, after laying down in her house. Though it was still early and the sun still shone in the sky, she had felt such an inexorable urge to sleep that she had no choice but to retreat into her bedroom and lie down on her bed, while Missy and Luna, coming from their own bedroom, curled up at the foot of her bed to also take a nap.

In her dreamy state, she ponders that one of the most mysterious and intriguing states of consciousness is the dream. Usually, people lose consciousness when enter the deep waters of sleep, only to regain it as they emerge into a series of uncanny private realities. The rabbit hole between these worlds of consciousness turns out to be the  _lucid dream_ , where people become aware that they are dreaming and can influence what happens within the dream. Emma had read about this and other kinds of projection in a small booklet, almost hidden in a corner of her library, describing studies that suggest that the majority of people have had a lucid dream at some point in their life but that the experience is not common. Her particular dream is rarer still, for what she is experiencing is beyond her own consciousness, it is reality.  

The moment she begins to delve into the intricate technicalities of astral projection and lucid dreaming, is the instant that the dream ends and Emma awakens,awaking Luna and Missy in the process.

…

The hours go by but she still lies down, absorbing and processing the emotions of her reality-dream, the enormity of the historical event she witnessed by projecting her subtle body into the distant sailing ship. Emma’s thought keeps going round and round, spiraling through ethereal spaces and always coming back to him, to her Killian.

“While I’m lying here, he must be preparing for the journey across the seas in search of an unknown island. He’s probably storing food supplies, selecting the best navigation tools and instruments, picking up maps, tracing routes - even though I imagine he still does not know which route to take. I should help him,” she ponders, “but I have no idea about the geographical location of the island. Not to mention that, because it is enchanted, the coordinates may change, who could say? Or know? One fact is for sure, based on the mild temperature throughout the year, the weather here is never too hot, nor too frozen, so I would venture that I’m in a sub-tropical island surrounded by warm water currents. Maybe it is closer to the equator line than to a tropic line, because of the water temperature, I don’t know, could be South Hemisphere already or still in the North…”

“Anyway, at this right moment Killian prepares to embark on the journey that will bring us physically close, our first encounter…” she mumbles, closing her eyes in an anxious anticipation of when their bodies and souls will merge into one.

“It’s been so long”, she sighs and stretches her arms and legs under the bedspreads, “not counting the hot dreams with Killian and when I touch and pleasure myself, it’s been more than ten years, actually…”

Although she lived a happy, pleasurable and loving marriage with Bae, their relationship did not know the depths of a more intense - physical and spiritual, connection. She was very young and naive, when they got married, he was her first love and, although much older than her, he was not very experienced in sex matters either. Regardless of their inexperience, they succeeded in developing a special relationship, though more in-depth to the foundations of a friendship than of a physical love between a man and a woman that may be highly sexual and goes beyond sex.

“Such as the connection between Killian and me, I guess…” she reasons, “this beautiful, deeper, connection that goes beyond a pure physical act; beyond any orgasm release produced by hormones and that can lead to mutual comfort, safety, and caring aiming at achieving an illuminated level of a conscious love, a spiritual union…”

“I know I’m dreamy and babbling, Luna!” she starts to laugh as the cat approaches, “I know I’m still under the influence of an ecstatic expanded experience, an altered state of consciousness”, she chuckles and teases as Luna jumps on the bed and snuggles on her lap, as if to remind her of the need to assimilate and develop a kind of feline sensuality.

Caressing the kitten absently, she continues to ramble, “the truth is, deep down, I feel insecure, I feel scared by the proximity of the moment when the dream will become a concrete reality. As my physical encounter with Killian approaches, my insecurity increases. He is an extremely seductive, handsome, sexy, well-versed and experienced in the art of making love man, and me? I feel inexperienced and insecure, as simple as that…”

…

“Alright, enough of ramblings and insecurity feelings, we have a long way ahead of us; we have a job to do, little cat-girl, time to get up!” Throwing the covers and the kitten out, Emma stands up, willing to surrender, soul and body, to the world of the awake. “Where is Missy, Luna? Missy!!” she shouts and soon after she hears the cheerful and paced walk of the dog, which approaches wagging her tail with joy.

In the kitchen, Emma finds a new store of food that probably appeared magically while she slept. “Very good, very good, I am really hungry and thirsty… I thank the good god who sends me these delicious meals, the pure and crystal clear water to drink and to bath, the nutritious meals for Luna and Missy, thank you for the clothes, for the enchanted house, for the comfort, for the paradise island in the form of a heart!” Emma bows slightly, hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to her chest. “Divine Being, I bow to you: Namaste!” she smiles with gratitude.

During the meal, which consists of granola with yogurt, fruits and natural juices, Emma thinks about how the ball always starts at her court, using a sports language she learned by observing some customs of modern life. “Which means it’s my turn to reopen the communication channel and restart our heart-to-heart conversation…”

Food for the body is a fuel for the soul: she feels revived and generating more fruitful and practical reflections on the most recent events, from the moment the dream began to the moment she rose from the bed. The still vivid memories of all emotions permeate her being and propel her into the mezzanine.

“I would like to be able to really talk to Killian, I would like to vent about the lack of geographic coordinates for the island - I’m really  **lost**  in a literal sense, or how I feel insecure about my lack of a more active sex life. I would like to express my joy in witnessing the gathering of so many dear people willing to cheer us and support our journey to find each other. I would like to reveal to Killian some useful information that could help him with the planning of his trip, I just don’t know what to say…” Emma’s mind continues to wander out loud, as she browses a folder with several scores. Suddenly, a score draws her attention: “Liszt - Liebestraum No 3 in A-flat major, Love Dream.”

“Love Dream: that’s it!!!” Emma shouts with a profound happiness that reverberates in her heart. “My heart…” she repeats thoughtfully, “my heart-shaped island! Oh thank God, I think I found a useful bit of information that could help Killian! It may not be much, but may be useful, anyway. He must look for a  **heart-shaped** island!”

With much concentration, Emma studies the sheet, preparing to play it: “such a beautiful, meaningful, dreamy piece”, she mutters.

“He will love it and I hope that it will carry the sweetest dreams to him.”

“Let’s do it, woman”, she commands herself, “breath Emma, concentrate and play, pour your soul and your recent thoughts, feelings, apprehensions, emotions, and the hint of a heart-shaped island, on this song…”

 [Suite N. 3 - Opus 1 (Emma) to Suite N. 3 - Opus 2 (Killian)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dr5hZEtB7qdg&t=MjAwZWNlZGYyMDgwMGZmNzAxMDVlODY1N2JkNWQyMjdjNDU0MDNjOSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

Since the realms were unified by Regina’s new curse, transport between them is not done as before, that is, in the past, by magically opening portals and crossing them with the thought focused on the person one wanted to find, the magic used to lead directly to the person, wherever he or she was.

Nowadays, in order to get to his Emma, he will have to find the physical (and maybe enchanted) route that leads to her, but the only thing Killian has been able to find until now is a great mess of maps, sonar GPS, computer, radios, electric generators and batteries, compasses, probes, anemometer, astrolabe, squares, nautical rules, goniometer, octant, quadrant, sextant, plum - a mix of all ancient and modern nautical equipment and instruments he could muster, and none of them are indicating the path that he will have to cross. No matter how much he studies the maps in his cabin, he is not coming to any promising conclusion and the uncertainty begins to get to his nerves. In this state of confusion and fatigue caused by the search for a ‘needle in the haystack’, Killian sits on the edge of the cabin bed and runs his hand through his hair, combing (or fussing) it with his fingers.

Exasperated, he throws himself on the mattress, closes his eyes and recalls the recent events since returning from Agrabah. For him, the emotional and exciting farewells and thanks, which followed the arrival at Storybrooke, were quickly replaced by preparations for the trip. He practically jumped from one ship to the other, where he met his old mate, W. Smee, with the repairing work on the masts already completed (thanks to the help of Gepetto and his sons, Pinocchio and W. Pinocchio), and almost finishing arranging the ropes and sails on the deck of his Jolly Roger. Mr. Smee soon joined them and volunteered to help the cook, Smith, with the long list of supplies. Meanwhile, Bill Wyatt, who had just arrived from his town house, offered to help with the navigation equipment, bedding clothes and sound equipment, to which Killian has already uploaded his complete collection of albums.

“Emma, where are you?” he whispers, trying to calm down and concentrate on his heartbeat.

“Dreaming…” whispers back a feminine voice, already enveloping his mind and penetrating his heart. Under the gentle sway of the ship anchored in the harbor, an irresistible sleep embraces him, transporting him into the deep waters of a restorative dream infused with a mythic conception of the cosmos, a dream of spiritual transcendence. The sound of a piano, like crystal drums of rare purity, permeates the images with a melody of love. Multicolored, blurred images, fractured or obliterated suggest a superior reality that reaches out to his mind and carries Emma’s voices, Emma’s feelings and emotions, her apprehensions, her core… carries Emma’s “ **heart-shaped island** …”

At those words, the anthroposophical art-style images vanish all of a sudden and Killian wakes up in a snap.

Still somewhat lethargic and drowsy, he watches a parade of images and revelations that the dream has brought to him - “how much emotion,” he mutters, “how much uncertainty, how much insecurity, love… Oh Emma, my Sweet Emma, do not feel that way. You know, I’ll confide you a secret: having lived the experience of physically aging and then rejuvenating, having lived with a cursed heart for so many years, having been an old fat and disenchanted with life alcoholic, believe me, there is only fame when the subject is ‘an intensely active sex life’. Do not tell anyone, for I have a reputation to honor”, he laughs, “but the truth is that the years spent with Alice in the enchanted tower and, then, with a poisoned heart, tame this old wolf from the sea - even though he preserves his pirate persona willing to break the seven seas in search of his most precious treasure. What I most desire from the depths of my heart, love, is the serenity of a slowly progressive seduction, the sex of the deep waters where the sensual and prolonged orgasm on the plateaus of pleasure is worth more than the instantaneous and fleeting ecstasy of the orgasm lived on the peaks of mountain ranges.”

Killian’s daydreams are interrupted by someone knocking on the door. “Captain, you have a visitor, can I get her in?” asks W. Smee.

“Of course,” Killian responds, getting out of bed and brushing his clothes off with his hands. “Who is it?” he asks, pouring himself a glass of water.

Without giving time for W. Smee to respond, the ‘visitor’ opens the door slightly and stretches her neck to make only her smiling face visible to Killian…

“Queen Regina! What a good surprise! Welcome aboard Your Majesty!” Killian exclaims, bowing in a reverent greeting.

“‘Rogers’, please, no kidding with royal protocols and formalities!” Regina retorts, smiling and extending her arms to hug her good friend. “You did not think you were embarking on an epic journey without a long-overdue conversation with me, I suppose?” Regina pulls her head away from their affectionate embrace to look into his eyes.

“The idea occurred to me”, he answered, “not that I wanted - or chose it to be so, but let’s face it, ‘Roni’, you’re always too busy and away from here, completely involved in some diplomatic mission. And no one knew when you would return to Storybrooke, not even your son, or  _sons_ ”, Killian explains.

“You’re right about that,” Regina says, sitting on one of the cabin chairs. “My schedule never has predictability, I don’t even know if I can call it an agenda!” She giggles while Killian serves a glass of liquor and offers it to her, after which he also sits on another chair.

“Thanks,” she says and then asks: “Doesn’t it upset you that I’m drinking liquor next to you? I mean, I can drink tea or juice if you prefer…”

“Forget about,” he says with conviction, “there is no problem at all. It may be tempting sometimes, but not today. Besides, I really got used to not drinking alcoholic beverages - and we lived in the 2nd Enchanted Forest and Hyperion Heights for a long time in this kind of ‘setting’,” he laughs.

“Yeah…You know, despite all struggles and cursed personas, those were good times, in a way”, Regina ponders absentmindedly, “at least I had time to help a good friend in need…” and at that, she looks into his eyes again.

“And how I need your help, you have no idea!!” he nods, looking at the maps and nautical instruments scattered across the table and floor of the cabin.

“Then I got here in good time, I’d say, because help is the name of what I brought,” Regina replies, holding both of Killian’s hands: with and without glove. “But apart from helping with Magic, remember that you have and will always have in me a friendly shoulder and a pair of ears ready to listen to you carefully.”

“Thank you Regina, I could use all your offers, you know?” He responds with a shy, pensive smile. “And in case you need, you know that mine are as good shoulders as yours, and the same applies to my devilishly rapscallion pair of ‘elf’ ears”, he jokes.

“Good”, she smiles brightly, “To be honest, I think I need a friendly talk as much as you do, maybe even more than you” she confesses. “So… who will spill out first?”

“I will start”, Killian replies. “I can guess - but I’m not sure - who put you in the know and I have no idea about how far you already know but, in short…”

“The two Henrys, I heard from the two Henrys,” she interrupts him. “Each one told me a part, and by piecing them together I know that you and Princess Emma of the Wish Realm have been able to establish a channel of communication that manifests itself through the musical connection between your hearts, a kind of heart-to-heart alchemy where the message drivers are magical songs, I mean, they become magical because of the true love between you. In addition, you have communicated enough to know that she lives on an oceanic island and therefore you are preparing for a journey through the seven seas in search of an enchanted island, perhaps magically hidden, whose geographic coordinates you will still have to determine.”

“Even if I wanted to, I could not sum it all together so well, congratulations, Regina!” And Killian adds, “but your almost perfect synthesis did not include the latest information that I received just before you got here.”

“Really? And these would be…?”

“The island has the shape of a heart, the temperature there is mild throughout the year, the weather is never too hot or too cold, and there is also some more information related to a more intimate sphere of Emma, and of me…” Killian fills in reticent.

“In this case, let’s leave this part aside, for now. Later, if you feel comfortable returning to the subject, we can talk about these more delicate issues,” Regina continues diplomatically. “I think now it’s my turn to talk, so … let’s see where I can start…” she says sighing.

“I think my title of Good Queen can be a good starting point for the simple reason that it does not properly describe my actual job. In practice, Chancellor or, perhaps, Head of Diplomacy, would be more appropriate names to describe what I am, or do. Am I a Good Chancellor? I try to be; only time will tell.”

She sighs and continues, “you know, Killian, throughout my long, long life, no experience I have ever experienced has been able to give me such a deep insight into my own essence as being in the command of the United Realms. I do not know if the word ‘command’ is the most appropriate one, either, because the design of the curse I cast was such that each kingdom still preserves its autonomy to the point where, as the transport between worlds and dimensions is now facilitated by not requiring the opening of magical portals, it is necessary to watch over the harmonious and respectful coexistence between peoples and cultures that are often totally different - and that is where I come in: to appease, to manage conflicts, to prevent villains and wizards from practicing and spreading their wickedness through the worlds… Which, considering human nature, is an exhaustive mission.”

“Where does my essence come into it? Simply: I see myself reflected in many of these evil villains and wizards. I see my own story replicated in their callousness, their lack of empathy for the suffering of others, their inconsequential insensitivity, which translates into total lack of responsibility for their actions. They teach me as if they were my past self reflected by a mirror. And to think that my story has always been closely connected to reflections and mirrors…”

“Looking back, my childhood was, I used to think, a happy one. But in fact, I was a girl spoiled by her mother. A mother who projected on her daughter her own ambitions and frustrations. A mother who was able to transform her daughter into a self-centered, egotistical child that would develop a sense of being the center of the world, perhaps of the universe. I believed that I was the only daughter of my parents, and I did not dream that I had another sister from my mother, a sister that was in fact abandoned and relegated to exile in the kingdom of Oz. Although there was a time when I was aware of the existence of Zelena, who saved my life and became my friend when we were children, due to a memory portion that my mother made me drink I forgot about Zelena’s existence. Unlike my mother, it was my father’s duty to cultivate in me a nobler humanity, but this humanity, unfortunately, became lost in a whirlwind of hatred, desires of revenge, insensitivity, and thirst to exercise power over others – that was triggered when my mother murdered my first love, Daniel. For me, my suffering was always greater and more intense than others’ suffering, and I used to project the responsibility of my faults on everybody else except me.”

“You were also a villain, you know the dark effects of hatred on the human soul and heart…” Regina says, to which Killian acquiesces. “But unlike me, you and your ‘twin brother’, each in a different path and way, learned the stages of redemption more quickly than I did. You have gone through all the stages, taking on the consequences of your bad deeds, regretting and working to repair them, feeling empathy and compassion… For me it was more difficult, because I was always more self-centered, the spoiled girl always spoke loud in me and wanted to have the last word.”

After a pause, Regina continues.

“You have not met my Robin - and I know that you have met W. Robin, who married my split version. But my Robin’s death almost cost me the trust and friendship, barely won, of my friends and family. I almost got lost again in narcissistic suffering, insensitive to the suffering of others – and most of the other’s suffering was caused by me!” she chuckles. “Do you know what finally triggered my definite redemption?” Regina asks and Killian shakes his head. “Regret, for the first time I felt a deep regret and that only happened quite recently!”

Taking another sip on her second glass of liquor, refilled by Killian, Regina continues…

“When W. Rumple died in the Wish Realm, right before his death you found me in a dungeon there, remember that?” she asks and he nods: “Aye…”

“That was the first time I ‘saw’ and ‘talked’ - in a lucid dream, with my Robin. Or with what he had become: he came to me from within my heart! That was the first time I met his soul since his death. I found out, that day, that our love had been strong enough to survive the soul-disintegration strength of  **Zeus’**  Crystal. Can you imagine such a strong love? However knowing that he was preserved, somehow, in me, that I was sort of a receptacle for the essence of what he was, was not enough for me, not at that time, not yet.”

After another sip of liquor, Regina shakes her head and continues… “Man, it’s harder than I thought to confess the next part to you, I admit, but I have to. It is connected to what I’m living, to what you and Emma are living, to what everybody everywhere is living - we are all connected, you know?” she smiles and proceeds after taking a breath.

“I have no problems with my sexuality, I never had, I mean, even when I kept my heart closed for love, I never shut myself to the physical pleasure that comes with sex; and I had - and still have, a libido that leads me to a very active sex life. In a way, meeting Robin, my Soul Mate, many years ago reopened my heart to romantic love - apart from the maternal love that I had developed with Henry. Well, this is a subject to explore more calmly another time - the psychoanalysis session you’re granting me is almost over, I promise,” to which Killian holds Regina’s hands and caresses them gently saying “do not worry about time, it’s on the house today!”

“Thank you,” she responds timidly, and continues, “Well, just commenting out, I admit that I can barely say that my ‘maternal’ love was a healthy one and the fact that my son is the biological son of a Savior must have protected him, in his childhood, from deep traumas that my Evil Queen personality might have caused in him otherwise. I thank the gods (and Archie Hooper) for sparing Henry!” She jokes with bitterness.

“Now, picking up the thread of the skein, losing Robin after having found him and having reopened my heart for romantic love left a taste of bitter in my mouth that would come back and forth and lead me to selfish, perhaps even envious attitudes. For instance, there was a time, not too far from now, that I came to think that maybe we, I mean, you and I, could develop a romantic relationship. And why not? I used to ask myself, why not a ‘Hooked Queen?’ We are both single, we are good friends and you’re a  **very handsome and sexy man** \- and you do not have to hide yourself behind this shy smile, you know that you are sexy as hell and you enjoy that  **away** too much!” she teases and smiles at him.

“The point is not that, at bottom, the point is that I did not want to admit the possibility of you finding your true love when I had lost mine, and I suspect that this is the reason for having kind of manipulated W. Henry’s feelings by telling him that I believed his mother to be dead. I told him that W. Emma, probably, should have been disintegrated in a similar way as my Robin had. In this way, I justified my fantasy to myself, I mean, that both you and I, having lost our true love, were free to date, to have lots of wild sex…” she inhales and exhales deeply.

“I’m relieved that I got it out, you know? I truly am. My pride prevented me for so long from knowing the feeling that comes from a confession, from admitting my faults and my darkest secrets  **not**   **only**  to vent about me, as you will constat in a minute… I’m glad I got to confess this one to you, finally… wow!”

“Regina, I don’t know what to say, I…”

“Then don’t say, it doesn’t matter, not anymore. This is past, I mean, this admission is a means to where I want to go. What matters is that recently, during one of my peacemaking missions, I met some people who have made me reevaluate my whole life and made me feel, for the first time, a genuine  **regret**.”

“I was in a village near the castle of my split-version, where she lives with her husband, W. Robin, and their daughter, Coralline. In fact, since I was staying at her castle, she accompanied me that day, and we went together to visit some villagers that had been attacked by a raging sorceress. What I did not expect to find out is that one of them was Roland Hood, my Robin’s son. They were all living there, I mean, the Merry Men, older, of course, some of them married and with children. That was not the case for Roland, who lived modestly - and alone, in a simple house.”

“It turned out that the raving sorceress was the Wish version of ourselves, an older and spiteful woman who, despite having retrieved the magical powers that, many years ago, the (Wish) Charmings had taken away from her, never found her happy ending.” 

Pausing to absentmindedly circulate her fingers on the rim of the glass while wandering in the fields of her memory, a pensive Regina finally sighs deeply, returning from her thoughts, and continues:

“I was remembering how you took part in the event, at the 2nd Enchanted Forest, from which resulted in Zelena recovering her magic”, she tells him and he nods. “So, as you might remember, you witnessed the many gestures of love and altruism of Robyn and Zelena: after being tricked by Gothel, Robyn relinquished her magical powers - which she had never really been fond of, while Zelena, who was willing to sacrifice her own life to save Robyn’s, received in return the powers that once belonged to her daughter. In the past, for the greater Good, Zelena had sacrificed Hades’ life (and he was her true love) and, later, she gave up of her own magic. Despite her losses, all those sacrifices freed her from darkness. The way I see it, she earned an opportunity to recover the light magic with which she was born. You know, no one is inherently evil, with rare exceptions such as Cruella de Vil. In general magic is not born dark, it is corrupted by events and choices that lead the person gifted with magic to become addicted to the power that comes from it, which then darkens the magic. In that episode, at the same time that Zelena reconquered her inner light, Robyn was also freed and allowed to devote herself wholeheartedly to what really attracted her and nourished her spirit, that is, to be as fantastic an archer as her father had been.”

“That is how Zelena’s redemption unfolded. On the other hand, for her three ‘sisters’, lessons have always been harder to assimilate. The fact is that we came from a single root and, before the multiplication of worlds (Wish and non-Wish) and the division by Dr. Jekyll’s Serum, the three of us were one single person: the spoiled, self-centered girl. Therefore, the main obstacle for the three of us to recover the light magic with which we were born has always been associated with overcoming our egoism. For Split Regina and W. Robin, who also lacked to learn compassion, the opportunity came in the form of a child, the daughter they adopted, in addition to the cause they embraced: the preservation of forests and river springs - the true passion of W. Robin.

On the other hand, for Wish Regina, the freedom from villainy was more delayed than for us. Well, for me and for Split Regina redemption had not yet been completed but, at least in some stages, we had already advanced more. Fortunately, for her, the method she used to regain her magical powers helped in the purification process. During her exile, she recovered her magic by drinking a few drops from the remnants of Lake Nostos’ water preserved at Merlin’s tower, in Camelot. However, unlike what happens with pure light magic, retrieving her magic did not translate into finding a new purpose and meaning for her life. Obviously, the outcome made her bitter and lonely rather than making her happier. Not even the death of W. Snow and W. David gave her the pleasure of revenge for so long wanted; on the contrary, what remained for her was an immense emptiness. Even though the healing properties of Lake Nostos had reduced her evilness, they had not been able to eliminate her temper. Then, in the lack of having something better to do she lived to torment peasants who had never harmed her. In recent years, the only person to look at her without fear, to bring her comfort and attention, to treat her with consideration and affection was Robyn’s half-brother, the docile Roland, but her ingratitude prevented her from being completely touched and transformed by the goodness of the boy – he is still in his teens!”

“Killian, I do not know how to describe the grip I felt in my heart when I found Roland living without friends of his age, not even a crush, whilst being so compassionate and caring. He was such a special child, affectionate, intelligent, sagacious, and so loving to me but… you know what I did, in exchange, during the most difficult moment of his life? I turned my back on him and on the Merry Men - who, in the best way they could, took care of him and gave him the love I denied.”

“This situation touched me and my split version deeply because the fault of abandoning Roland, of leaving him to his own fate was ours – I mean, mine, whatever, no matter if we had split ourselves. I was then so absorbed in my suffering, at the loss of Robin, so self-centered in my own navel, that I could not remember the kind boy, losing his best friend - his father - and feeling abandoned by the woman, he believed, loved him as a son.”

“Remorse, that’s what we both felt. A deep regret… And to our surprise, when we realized that the sorceress was an alternate version of ourselves… Oh, that was too much, we did not know how to handle that at first. Even W. Regina, seeing us, didn’t know how to handle all the emotion she felt. Those were very tough moments for the three of us, those initial ones.”

“Eventually it was Roland himself who brought us the solace, who calmed us with light and funny stories from his, our, past and relieved us of the immeasurable burden of guilt that fell upon our shoulders. So, gradually, we calmed ourselves down and started to think clear, to feel more clearly what should be done.”

"To placate W. Regina’s ire was the first and easiest task that was accomplished, actually far easier than one should think, initially. She just needed some special magic ‘cosmetics’ to feel in a better mood, to feel better – which we got from a blood magic similar to the one that rejuvenated you. After that, she started to breath, for the first time, the fresh air of being given a second chance to earn happiness, to love and to be loved. Emotionally, she kind of adopted Roland as a son and they moved to a mansion, near my palace, in between Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest, from where they now coordinate various social welfare groups that bring education, health, comfort and prosperity to many villages in the United Realms. For Roland this is a unique opportunity to honor the memory of his father and to W. Regina, to gain a new chance to do Good, for a change, it represents for her a rebirth every day.”

“Split-Regina is the only one of us that is a married woman. She and her husband help as they can in the social assistance, although they devote themselves to it only part-time because of their ecological cause not to mention that now they have a lovely daughter to rise.”

“Most importantly, Roland is leading an operation to find and return to their legitimate owners all the hearts that the three of us, the three Reginas, kept in our vaults for so many years. A few fairies - W. Blue leading your and Hook’s friends from the two Neverlands, the two Tinkerbells and two Tiger Lilies, are helping Roland to locate the missing people. Even the two Novas, who now live with the two Leroys and their brothers, sometimes join and help the searching team. That is a really challenging task and will require a lot of time and catharsis to be concluded. The process is very painful for the three of us because it brings to light many crimes we committed, such as the murder of Roland’s mother, Marian (actually, thanks to time travel, murdered twice: by me and by Zelena)…”

“Despite the guilt and regret that weigh on us, Roland’s generous heart has forgiven us. In this process, not all hearts in the vaults can find the destination we would like. Some hearts went out without ever returning to the chest of their owners because they died of natural death first. Some of them we smashed to dust in cold blood, as it were the case for the two Huntsmen, Graham Humbert and his counterpart in the Wish Realm. In any case, even if we cannot reverse all evil done, we are cleaning up our past in the best way we can and trying to live a cleaner present.”

“As for me, since meeting Roland, I have had more mystical encounters with my Robin, who appears to me in dreams. We talk, we laugh and, more recently, in a new development - and now it comes another confession, we kind of make love: an act of spiritual love that I could never describe with words not even would have imagined to be possible given my experience with a more carnal sex. Those are our private moments of meditation immersed in a serene, quiet, ethereal peace…”

“And as for the ‘three Reginas’, we have weekly meetings - one ‘girls’ night’, of which we don’t give up except for an exceptional reason. In these periodic meetings we laugh about ourselves, we drink, we talk about life, we joke about life, and we plan the good we have to do in order to redeem ourselves, really redeem ourselves. By the way, tonight we’ll meet again. Be assured that we will discuss in depth the ways to help you and Emma – magically - on your journey. Therefore, my dear friend, wait for a ‘magic aid’ before setting sail to find your true love, your Emma. I only ask you one night. Tomorrow, by the early morning, I will send you what you need, I promise”.

A deep silence follows Regina’s confessions.

Killian, without words to express his emotions, radiates them through his brilliant blue eyes. After a long pause he finally says:

“Regina, you’re really wrong in one of the statements you made. You  **are**  a Good Queen; the three of you are  **the** Good Queen, though you are the only one to bear the title. You form an abstract entity that will be remembered as the mythological and legendary Good Queen, whose goodness was distributed into three physical bodies in order to be able to overflow and stream her love through all United Realms.”

New pause, and he continues, “I’m deeply touched by your kindness, ‘Your Majesty’, and for that I really thank you. Thank you, my good friend. May the good winds take you to your meeting tonight, then bring your magic help to me, as well as carry me to my true love”, Killian smiles fondly.

At that, both get up, embrace tightly for one more time and walk to the deck of the ship, where they say goodbye.

During the night, Killian and the other four sailors complete their travel arrangements and go to sleep, already accommodated in their quarters in the ship, waiting for the dawn to bring - as it does with the first sunshine rays - Regina’s aid: an ark and an envelope deposited on the deck.

Opening the ark, Killian finds three objects: a gramophone, a flower pot, and a small jewelry box. In the envelope, there is a note that reads:

**To everything there are different levels of explanation, which we study with different tools and in different contexts. How much of reality can be explained by materialist sciences, and how much by spiritualist ones, or by magic? Is reality, ultimately, what can be revealed at the fundamental level of atoms?**

**During my stay in Hyperion Heights, once I read a book, written by Bill Bryson, who said: “Energy is liberated matter; matter is energy waiting to happen”. To that, I would add: “Love Matters”.**

**Go find your True Love, Killian, make it happen, take with you these three gifts from the three Reginas and bring your Emma Sweet back with you. Our gifts are:**

**1.**    **A heart-shaped ruby, which will shine the moment you take the right direction.**

 **2.**    **A gramophone, which will play the right songs in the right ‘way’ and in the right moments.**

 **3.**    **Flower buds, which will bloom when the right people appear on your path.**

 **Stay safe and good luck! Sincerely, Regina(s)**.

Opening the small box, Killian finds the heart-shaped ruby and points it to all quadrants in the sky, North, East, West and South. When the ruby starts to spark, he points it more firmly, as in a fine alignment with the right direction, and the red light that comes out of the magic jewel shines and illuminates the ship and his heart. At the top of his lungs, Captain Killian Jones then shouts excitedly:

“W. Smee, Mr. Smee, Kevin, Bill! At your posts, raise anchor, hoist sails, and may the good winds take us South!” To her captain’s voice, whose heart overflows with gratitude (to the three Reginas), hope (of success) and love (for his Sweet Emma), the beautiful Jolly Roger begins to sail towards the high sea.

From the gramophone, at this moment, female voices start to sing one more song of the Sweet Suite - the three Reginas’ chorus propels and moves the ship to her destination:

[Suite N. 3 - Opus 2 (Killian) to Suite N. 4 - Opus 1 (Emma)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DqeMFqkcPYcg&t=ZGU4NTQyNDNmZTNkZmZkOTRlYTg4MTNhOTNkZmI2YjZmODQzNTA5MCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

The day dawned dazzling. Emma does not remember a dawn so beautiful, so full of promises brought by the beaming sunshine rays. She walks along the edge of the island leaving in her footprints, as she walks barefoot on the white sands, the island’s heart contour. While walks Emma realizes for the first time that she has no longer made use of the magic mirror to witness, from a distance, life being lived by others. In fact, since the Sweet Suite began to be played, she went on to replace ‘watch’ with ‘live’. Life has pulsed stronger in her, she has moved from being a passive audience to being on the stage, alive and active, assuming the leading role of her own life.

In practical terms, the dynamics at the house and of her life in the island, as a whole, have not changed, that is, what she needs for her daily life continues to appear magically, it is enough to sing or play a song in deep concentration from time to time. However, in addition to her routine, new signs that her magic power is expanding and revealing itself in new facets have emerged more recently. The first of them was the throbbing in her hands propelling her to try to move objects from one place to another. The first attempts were unsuccessful, but today, upon waking, she was able to transport the gardening tools to the garden, where she took care, for a little while, of the rosebush. After her walk along the beach and a juicy breakfast, she plans to return to the roses. More than a hobby, as it used to be when she lived in the Wish Realm, Emma discovered on the island that working with flowers is a therapeutic activity, “floral therapy”, as she calls it.

As a bonus, to her pleasant surprise this morning, the garden also has become a space for magic practice!! She feels insecure to puff herself from one place to another though, such as in those puffs she has watched so many other people demonstrating with easy… “Better not try, too risky. I’m afraid puffing of people still is at a more advanced level for me to try alone, without supervision,” she concludes, “but would I be able to transport small objects to more distant places… to my Killian, for instance? Perhaps send them to the Jolly Rogers?” she wonders. “I wish I could, who knows, somehow impregnate the Jolly Roger with a kind of weather protection spell to ensure her a quiet, storm-free, rough seas-free ocean crossing…”

Through the visions in her more recent dream right before she awakened in the morning, under the pulse of a strong musical beating that propelled the Jolly Roger to the high seas, she knows that Killian is already sailing. She knows that he is not only sailing but is in the right track. She knows that he counts with the help of a crew that is small but very experienced in dealing with the Jolly Roger, a ship built with enchanted wood.

What matters the most is that she knows he’s coming.

“It’s happening!!” she exclaims excitedly, turning an anxious sight to the sea.

Missy then runs past her, jumping, barking, and wagging her tail merrily. “Good morning Missy! Hey!” she stops walking when the dog jumps excitedly on her, “how much joy, girl! You bark so little but I love it when you do it that way, playfully and fancifully, my adorable, cute Missy!” Emma bends down, smiling, to stroke her dog. “Where is Luna, didn’t she come too? Hmm, needless to say, I know she must still be taking a little nap on her pillow, like every good cat…”

“You’re hungry, Missy? I’m starving, and I bet Luna is too, only too lazy to get around the island before the morning meal! So… let’s see where we are,” Emma looks at the footprints to determine in what part of the ‘heart’ they are. “Hmm, we’re in the middle, which means that it doesn’t matter if we return by the path we have already walked or if we move forward, completing the ‘drawing’ - the distance is the same. Let’s draw the whole heart, don’t you think, my little friend?” she asks Missy, absently. “What’s a heart worth in half, isn’t it?”

Emma and Missy return home, getting in from the laundry room, where Emma wipes her feet and pulls on a pair of slippers. In the kitchen they find Luna stretching her legs, in preparation for the bowl of milk and cat food, that Emma prepares soon and, next, does the same for Missy - but for Missy the ration is for dogs and the drink is water.

For her breakfast she feels the need of being a bit more elaborate this morning because the walk has whetted her appetite, so it requires the addition of toast with jelly and scrambled eggs to the already traditional bowl of granola with yogurt, orange juice and fruit salad. Also because of the walk, Emma refreshes herself with a hot shower and decides to read a little before working in the garden.

In the mezzanine, among the magazines stored in one of the desk drawers, she finds one, which she has not read for a long time, about floral therapy. “Exactly what I need,” she says, and starts flipping through the articles as soon as she gets to the porch.

**"‘Flower Therapy’ is the art of working with flowers, flower essences and angels for healing, manifestation and abundance. With flowers as your allies, your dreams really can come true, and you’ll see that nature truly has the ability to heal!"**

…

**"Roses appear in accounts from all of the world’s major religions as a symbol of miraculous love at work in the world. Roses symbolize eternal love in stories where gods interact with each other and human beings. There are people that use roses as decorations to represent their hearts. Others view roses as symbols of the human soul, so smelling the scent of roses reminds them of their spirituality. Some see roses and other flowers as expressions of spiritual joy. In some traditions roses are reminders of the Garden of Eden, a paradise in a world that reflected God’s design before sin corrupted it."**

…

**"People regularly report smelling the fragrance of roses while communicating with angels in prayer or meditation. Angels use rose scents as physical signs of their spiritual presence with people because roses have powerful energy fields that vibrate at a high electrical frequency—the highest of any flower on Earth. Because angelic energy also vibrates at a high rate, angels can connect easier with roses than with other flowers that have lower vibrational rates. Rose essential oil vibrates at a rate of 320 megahertz of electrical energy."**

…

The morning hours pass lazily with the back and forth of the swing and the sound of the waves without Emma realizing it, now immersed in reading about flowers, now contemplative and dreamy before the blue immensity. To bring her back to reality, and perhaps to remind her of lunch’s proximity, Luna and Missy join her on the porch. Luna jumps in the swing, snuggling into her lap, as Missy slumbers sleepily near the steps of the threshold.

“And there they are, Luna and Missy, my faithful companions, my animal fairies…” Emma greets them gently, “my two lovely flowers:  **L** una plus M **i** ss **y** with an  **L** … in between and, tchan… there comes a synthesis of  _Lily_ …!”

The moment she calls the flower name, as if by an enchantment, she passes the page of the magazine and is faced with a new session… about Lilies!!

**"LILIES: RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL MEANINGS, TYPES, HOW TO CARE?"**

…

**"Lilies, from the Liliaceae family, have an intoxicating scent and a distinctive and lush shape."**

…

**"Lilies symbolize innocence, celestial purity and virginity. It is the flower of sublime love, though by the phallic aspect, the flower is also related to eroticism, sexuality and temptation of the passions."**

…

**"In eastern cultures, lilies symbolize summer, abundance and eternal love. For some religions, lilies have a symbol of surrender to the grace of God, to divine providence. For royalty and nobility, the lily is a symbol of prosperity, sovereignty, power, honor, loyalty. It is a myth used in several coats of arms."**

…

**"The scent of lilies is intoxicating and contains endorphins, which ensures well-being and happiness. The lily is considered the flower of joy, prosperity."**

…

**"White and lilac lilies: indicate matrimony, innocence and motherhood."**

…

“‘ **L** ’ words: Lilac Lilies…Love…” she whispers.

At that, Luna moves in her lap, jumping to the ground to wake up Missy, who awakens quickly and turns her curious eyes to Emma.

“Okay, girls, another  **L**  word,  **Lunch**  time!” Emma sums up, also getting up and taking with her, in addition to the magazine she had brought, a lot of new thoughts about flowers, scents, angels, fairies and dreams.

“Today is therapy day!” Emma declares, in a good mood, entering the kitchen, “what do we have here?” she wonders, looking for ingredients in the cabinets and in the refrigerator. Emma came to know electricity on the island. She never really understood how the generation of electricity works there, but she guesses it comes from solar panels located on the back of the roof. “I’m sure Killian would understand it all quite well and would explain in details how this technology works”, she ruminates. “Well, I may not understand how technology does its magic, but at least of one thing I’m sure, here on the island it is better to rely on the energy that comes from the sun, a constant throughout the year, than from the wind, since the winds are gentle, light breezes, strong enough to just refresh the environment”.

“Anyway, back to cooking! Here they are, fresh vegetables, olive oil and rice - that will do for today. They will be transformed into a frugal meal but the very process of cooking them will help me in nourishing my psychological well-being whilst linking my mental health to nutrition. Seriously, no kidding, when I think about it, I see that it has been really easier to control the quality of my diet since I prepare much of the food. I thank the Olympus Gods for allowing me to practice activities that play a major role in keeping my body and brain healthy.” And, then, she proceeds to preparing the meal.

One of Emma’s favorite ways to unwind is by slicing and dicing vegetables. The steady chop-chop of the knife against the cutting board quiets her mind and soothes her soul. For her, cooking has been a meditation with the promise of a good meal afterward. “I just wish I could share the delicious dishes I prepare with more people, with Killian and Henry, also Alice and Robyn, mainly, at least…” she mutters.

After lunch, with the intensity of the outside heat and the sunlight shining at the zenith, Emma decides to not return to the garden, "maybe later,” she ponders, “it’s better to enjoy a cool shadow from the porch. I could paint a little… Even though, of the many arts I practice, painting is not my forte, today I am feeling exceptionally inspired. Perhaps from this special energy will come out a beautiful picture to adorn this house or, hopefully, my future home”, she concludes, filled with intense hope, as she climbs to the mezzanine to pick up the easel, a canvas, paint brushes and paints. Just in case, she also takes with her, for boosting her inspiration, an old book, that she hasn’t read yet, stored next to the painting material: Cicely Mary Barker’s  _Flower Fairies_.

…

For Emma, painting is a help to explore her emotions, to improve (“just a little bit”) her self-esteem (“for at least having tried”) and to relieve stress and anxiety (“especially during my periods, such as today”). She is quite aware of her lack of a more artistic talent with a canvas, but she also knows that the process is not about the artistic value of her work, but rather about finding associations between her creative choices and her inner life. Right now, after almost three hours, when only a detailed and well-crafted circular image of dancing musical notes is coming out on the canvas, she wonders how  **that**  artwork could be used as a springboard for doing a noble job, such as to reawaken memories or reveal messages and beliefs from her unconscious mind.

In the midst of these dilemmas, at a glance, she sees the book lying on the swing: a book calling for her attention - promptly received. Putting the paints aside Emma sits down a little for whipping the book. She opens it randomly in a poem whose words carry her into a surreal vision of a magic world.

A silence follows, during which Emma’s mind floats as if dancing at a fairy ball where all fairies are dressed in lilac. She feels as if talking animatedly with them. She sees herself with wings, like those of an angel, flying among the small shimmering creatures, which, when flying, echo small bells from which sparkling, lilac-colored, fairy dust comes out.

One of the fairies whispers in her ear the teaching of how to protect the Jolly Roger with magic: “it is quite simple, actually. All you have to do is read the verses from the book, as a spell, and proceed to play and sing a song - you will know which one, by heart: the easel, canvas, paint brushes and paints will be then magically transported to the Jolly Roger. Leave the rest with us and… with him!” she assures, smiling.

Awakening from her trance Emma goes to the mezzanine carrying the book, already open in the right page. Once there, she reads slowly and rhythmically the poem ‘The Lily-of-the-Valley Fairy’:

 **"Gentle fairies, hush your singing:  
** **Can you hear my white bells ringing,**  
 **Ringing as from far away?**  
 **Who can tell me what they say?**  
 **Little snowy bells out-springing**  
 **From the stem and softly ringing**  
 **Tell they of a country where**  
 **Everything is good and fair?**  
 **Lovely, lovely things for L!**  
 **Lilac, Lavender as well;**  
 **And, more sweet than rhyming tells,**  
 **Lily-of-the-Valley’s bells…"**

Closing the book, she sees on the mirror, before her, the image of Killian mumbling about her with affection but also with apprehension, as if worried. She stretches out her arms trying to reach for him, to touch him, to reassure him, to protect him.

“Killian,” she dives into the immensity of his blue eyes, “know that I’m safe. As for you, please, be safe too. Be careful in your way to me, my love. I feel…” she pauses before continuing, “you see, I’ve been feeling so much that sometimes I forget that there are words that need to be said: though known, they need to be heard. They convey the energy of what they represent, like the scent of roses symbolizes the ‘L’ word. So, then... let’s repair that,” she pauses, smiles, inhales deeply and says: “I love you…”

A hypnotic trance brings then a clear sensation of seeing Killian looking at her, immersing himself into the green waters pouring from her eyes - a face-to-face of two enamored souls. For the first time they actually look at each other’s soul and, although their bodies can not touch each other, their souls can and they do so like two kissing lips, two enraptured bodies making love. Successive waves of love and sweet pleasure run gently through Emma and lead her to sit at the piano.

Closing her eyes, a new wave prompts her to declare with a trembling voice, "This song is to record the first time I reached for your face and, then, I saw you, I touched you and was touched by you".

Her heart is filled with abundant peace and love. As she starts to play and sing, in the porch the energy of her flowery wondering together with all painting material gradually submerge into an ethereal cloud until disappearing completely…

[Suite N. 4 - Opus 1 (Emma) to Suite N. 4 - Opus 2 (Killian)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkvFYDCsvY8)

_The day was one of intense physical activity. The hearty ruby, like a guiding star, radiated its red light throughout the whole day, though at times it was difficult to maintain the high intensity of its brilliance. That was because the route it was tracing was highly nonlinear - sometimes Killian had the impression that the enchanted jewelry was drawing a path with spiraled geometric shapes. Therefore, aligning the helm and the sails with the ruby glow and with the wind directions kept the entire crew occupied for most of the day._

_They made only a couple of short pauses to rest and to savor the meals prepared by Smith but, despite their hard work, fatigue did not overwhelm them and their mood was kept in a light vibe, particularly because of the music that came out from the captain’s cabin and echoed throughout the ship – thanks to the speakers installed all over the deck by Bill. Sometimes they sang along, laughing happily, sometimes they just hummed alone, but the top moment was when Pink Floyd’s song, ‘Wish you were here’, began to sound from the speakers. With Killian holding the helm firmly as the Jolly Roger hit the seas at a speed that only enchanted ships reach, the five men worked in sync intoning together, with their happy voices, the not so happy but challenging and encouraging lyrics:_

**_"So, so you think you can tell_**  
 _ **Heaven from Hell**_  
 _ **Blue skies from pain**_  
 _ **Can you tell a green field**_  
 _ **From a cold steel rail?**_  
 _ **A smile from a veil?**_  
 _ **Do you think you can tell?**_  
  
 _ **Did they get you to trade**_  
 _ **Your heroes for ghosts?**_  
 _ **Hot ashes for trees?**_  
 _ **Hot air for a cool breeze?**_  
 _ **Cold comfort for change?**_  
 _ **Did you exchange**_  
 _ **A walk on part in the war**_  
 _ **For a lead role in a cage?**_  
  
 _ **How I wish**_  
 _ **How I wish you were here**_  
 _ **We’re just two lost souls**_  
 _ **Swimming in a fish bowl**_  
 _ **Year after year**_  
 _ **Running over the same old ground**_  
 _ **What have we found?**_  
 _ **The same old fears**_  
 _ **Wish you were here…"**_  
  
…

_For Killian, like in old times of Captain Jones (and Captain Hook),the Jolly Roger soon became again an easily maneuverable ship, although initially he struggled a bit to catch the wind when the ship was sailing downwind. Nevertheless, most of time, the sailing was essentially an airplane wing standing on end. Like a muscle’s memory process, his brain remembered quite quickly how to properly adjust and position the sail’s leading edge and points it into the wind, creating higher pressure on the windward side and lower pressure on the leeward side._

...

And so, after a busy productive day in terms of crossed distance (“How far do we still have to go?” he wonders), the winds that came with the beginning of the night, as if giving the sailors a rest, are blowing more smoothly. Bill and Smith have called it a day for a while and the last on the helm, W. Smee, has just retired to his quarters. Killian has taken over the helm while the next on shift, Mr. Smee, is taking a nap.

…

“Today was a good day”, from his command post at the wheel Killian mumbles while watching the crescent moon as well as the heavy clouds that are forming on the horizon. He watches them with growing concern, “my concern is growing faster than the moon’s phase – which means that wild winds might come…” he fears.

…

“Captain!” shouts Mr. Smee, arriving at the helm, “I can take the post if you wish.”

“Thank you mate, but I don’t know if we should proceed full speed overnight; at least as long as the clouds in the South continue to signal the approach of a storm in that direction.”

Killian points the ruby to the South and continues “See?  A storm forming right in the direction the ruby is pointing to… You know, I have brought a number of modern navigation equipment but, in practice, I realize that the best ‘tools’ for me are still my guts. And they tell me that, maybe, we should not go there at night, even though I do not like the idea of having to stray from the route.”

“Aye, you might be quite right, Sir, I can also sense - from a specific kind of callous itch - stormy winds approaching… We’d rather stabilize the ship and give it a rest. Besides, the Jolly worked really well during the day, our girl deserves a calmer night, and by tomorrow we might know better how the storm has evolved, and to where. Now do not worry if it catches up with us, we’re prepared to face a storm with relative ease,” Mr. Smee reassures him.

“Sure, mate, a storm might be good to test our reflexes – just like in those old days… how many Homeric ones we faced then, haven’t we? No matter if it was in this Jolly Roger, or in the other, I guess,” Killian replies longingly.

“This is our life, isn’t, Captain?” Mr. Smee laughs. “And then, look at us now, having to call another Smee as ‘W. Smee’ to differentiate him from me, being able to sail two equal ships named Jolly Roger, under the command of two identical Captain Jones…”

“…both madly in love with ‘physically identical twin sisters’ named Emma", Killian completes pensive.

“Captain, I beg your pardon but, knowing women as I do, I’d better say two most likely completely different women named Emma…” he chuckles, and continues more seriously, “but we will find yours, Sir, we will bring her home with us, you can be sure of that!” Mr. Smee concludes with firmness.

“Thank you, my friend. I know this is a high-risk mission, given its nature and degree of uncertainty, but I could not imagine a more loyal and competent crew capable of accompanying me on this journey”, Killian smiles hopefully but, somehow, melancholically. “Now, go back to sleep, Mr. Smee, I’m not sleepy, I’m going to stay out here for a while, watching the clouds, closing the sails and dreaming of my Emma…”

“Night, Captain, nice ‘dreams’…”

…

Alone on the deck, Killian leans against one of the masts, trying to calm his breathing and at the same time to not worry about a possible bad weather in the indeterminate path that leads to his Emma who, perhaps, hopefully, is now also thinking on him.

“Are you preparing a song for me tonight, Emma?” He asks, staring at the moon. “How many storms will we have to face before we can meet?” he continues questioning  and looking at the sky.

Killian is emotional tonight. The adrenaline and testosterone of the day are gradually melting, turning into a subtle vibration. He does not know if he attributes the ethereal aura that surrounds him to thinking about her, but thinking about her is all he can do right now. Just imagining how Emma would have passed the day arouses an almost uncontrollable desire to be at her side, to protect her against the perils of the night, against the storms… Although Aladdin has ensured that the place created for her to stay has been set up with abundant resources, safety and a cozy comfort, not knowing how she handles loneliness, the intrinsic isolation of an island life, sometimes squeezes his heart and brings a desire to cry that is almost irresistible.

The night silence is permeated by the rhythmic splash of the ocean in the hull of the Jolly Roger - woosh... woosh... woosh… Killian's thought wanders through the stars when subtle energies slowly circulate his body until touching it. When, at last, the wave of emotions finds the path that leads to his eyes, it directs them to a part of the firmament upon which Emma’s face, looking lovingly at him, is projected. Moved by an impulse, Killian reaches out to touch her, trying to pull her from the sky and bring her down beside him. The feeling of seeing her and being seen by her for the first time is indescribable. The meeting of glances is mesmerizing and the sight of two hypnotizing emeralds gleaming like two light outbreaks opens up the way for waves of pleasure to travel through his body and soul, enveloping him with the unconditional love emanated by Emma.

When the vision begins to dissipate, the two tears that stubbornly tried to fall from his eyes finally flow freely as Killian closes them, muttering, in a restrained sob that blends sweetness and longing, the magic words as if replying to her own words: “I love you too…”

At that, he slowly reopens his eyes, just in time to see materializing before him an easel and a canvas with an unfinished painting. Next, he sees the paint brushes and paints appearing, which he examines with interest, feeling the presence of Emma in all objects.

The next to appear is the gramophone, magically transported from his cabin. However, instead of playing a song, it starts to vaporize in the air ethereal roses of all colors and fragrances. The strong, sweet scent of the roses brings to his mind the powerful sweetness of love, which he associates to the presence of Emma. In this miraculous encounter with her angelic essence, Killian feels himself bathed in fragrances that seem to exist just to celebrate the sacredness of their Love.

In this state, with the soul enraptured by a divine inspiration, he takes from the brushes and starts to paint, slowly completing the image on the canvas. Killian has always been a skillful, observant and talented painter. Of all arts, painting is perhaps the best channel through which he expresses his emotions, and tonight the image that floods his eyes is that of a flower against a dreamy background translating sensual pleasure and love: a lilac water lily of deep beauty from which the musical notes, already painted, sprout with elegant delicacy.

As the painting is getting ready, small shiny lilac fairies descend from the sky flying over the Jolly Roger, sprinkling shimmering lilac fairy dust all over the ship, from the masts to the sails, ropes, floor and woodwork.

One of the fairies then whispers in his ears “the journey to your true love is protected by the Gods” and, with these words, the little fairies disappear - though the painted canvas and the roses brought by the gramophone remain on deck - leaving only a sound of tiny little bells ringing.

As he looks towards South, Killian notices, deeply relieved, that the heavy clouds have dissipated and the storm is backing up quietly.

Feeling physically and spiritually touched, an emotional Killian collects the paint material, the petals of rose spread all over the floor and, if he could, he would bottle their perfume loose in the air. “Perhaps from these petals I can extract an essential oil to present to Emma when we meet, I think that is reasonably possible… I’ll try that anyway”, he plans.

Tears of gratitude do not stop flowing from his eyes, as if her angelic essence had invaded him, cleansing and washing his soul, making the dam overflow. “My sweet angel, my Emma, I love you so much…”  he sobs gently and goes down to his cabin in two comings and goings, collecting the gramophone, the petals, the easel with the canvas, the paints and brushes, and the heart-shaped ruby, which he holds in his coat pocket. “Tomorrow we restart the journey”, he says, “a journey blessed by the Gods!” he smiles. “For now the moment is for all of us to sleep, is for me to dream of you, my Emma, my angel, wishing sweet dreams to you…”

After a quick bath and before lying down, Killian searches, in his playlist, the song that he feels the need to sing tonight, as a ‘thank you’ for the protection spell. He hopes the song will fly his heart to her island, carried by the wings of her angelic presence with him tonight. When he finds the song, he closes his wet eyes, and still deeply touched starts to sing along…

[Suite N. 4 - Opus 2 (Killian) to Suite N. 5 - Opus 1 (Emma)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTQTxzV7jUU)

During the three days that followed her meeting with the fairies, Emma has been busy cleaning all over the house, arranging what was scattered, washing the dirty laundry that was already accumulating, ironing her clothes then folding and putting them in chests. Without realizing it initially, she finally gets the meaning of what she is doing: preparing for the next major change.

In perspective, she can locate a couple of major and minor changes in her life. Her first ball…Marrying Bae…Henry’s birth was a big one. Being magically transported to the island - “that was huge”…

Contrary to what could seem, minor changes have always occurred in her island life. Indeed, in the early years on the island she used to spend hours in embroidery and sewing. In this way, she sewed and embroidered beautiful towels, curtains, sheets, bedspreads, napkins and handkerchiefs. So many that, at last, she decided to stop because she did not know what she would do with all of them, or if she would live enough to use them at all. And they are a lot, not to mention the dresses that she designed and sewed whose style, with the passage of time, changed gradually, being adapted in accordance with the fashion followed by the women she saw through the magic mirror. Even so, she still treasures her loose and light, long and mid length, dresses - her modern customized ‘Wish Emma look’. Now, seeing them all folded in packages, she wonders if she could – or should - take them all with her.

“I don’t want to impose, but if the Jolly Roger could handle the weight and volume I’d like to take the whole house with all that’s inside!” she jokes. “Perhaps I could magically shrink it… I’ve seen people doing that: that is it! that is a plan!” she completes exalted.

Deep down, her frenetic activity has a more practical function: to distract her from the uneasy knots in her stomach that she feels each time she thinks about what is to come. Every time she thinks of the future she is assaulted by doubts she didn’t know existed. In the overall picture the feelings of fear hold particularly true for a very basic question: “what if I do not deserve such grace?”

And the primary question soon evolves to: “What if my apparent angelic sweetness, as Killian feels and sees, conceals a fraud, what if it is the mask behind which some demons still hide?”

Deep down, despite knowing what to do, she has been delaying the beginning of the most important task: the cleaning of her soul. But now, three days after starting the house cleaning, she is aware of the main ‘house’ that is requiring attention - even though she would give everything to find a new excuse to procrastinate a little more the toughest confrontation. “I just need a small push…” she explains.

As if listening to Emma’s request, Luna begins to walk through her long white legs, brushing them in a back and forth motion, stretching the body, mewing and giving little bites at Emma’s feet.

“Ouch!” Emma reacts. “Right. I see you, milady! Your command is an order!” She bends down to pick up the kitten, looking right into her eyes as if to seek the answers to all her doubts and insecurities. “Where do I start, Luna? Can you tell me, huh?”

Luna jumps on the floor and walks resolutely to the kitchen, climbing on the counter where the fruit bowl is full of red apples.

“Regina,” Emma quickly realizes, “I knew it! Deep down, I knew that I should begin with the ‘Good Queen’…” Emma comments sarcastically as Luna lies down on the bench. Sighing resignedly, she continues, “but the point is, to even slightly think of her brings up so much pain, and anger… I know, I know, it’s all in the past, I need to move on, I know… but, how do I do that?”

Frustrated, Emma grabs an apple and decides to walk through the trees of the island. In fact, in addition to the house - located at the tip of the ‘heart’, to the flower bed and a small garden of teas and herbs - in the backyard, and to the white sands - all around the coast outline, the small island is a flat platoon filled with coconut palms and other tropical trees, some of them being fruit trees.

She feels so irritated that she does not even bother putting on a pair of sandals, “maybe it’s even better to walk barefoot, to dump this negative energy into the earth…” she ponders already into the woods.

As she walks, flakes of heavy clouds appear in the sky, slowly covering the island with stretches of shadow interspersed with stretches of sun. The rain that falls is fleeting and refreshing, as are usually the local rains. Initially, Emma tries to protect herself from the rain by rushing for the sunniest areas or to the many shadows of treetops, but soon she gives up and prefers to bathe in the shower falling from the skies.

As soon as the rain is over, she ponders whether to go home immediately, to change, or to continue further walking, and in this case, the question is whether she goes in wet clothing or naked. The temperature is pleasant then she opts for the third alternative, leaving the wet clothes drying in the bamboo tubes that pass nearby. The flat ground of the island does not allow the presence of flowing waters, as a river, although at its center there is a mine through which a very fine mineral water sprouts. By the kindness of the house’s ‘mysterious architect’, a bamboo water collection system pumps and feeds the house water system, which (“obviously”) is totally independent of the septic tank system.

Emma walks alone, in a straight line, until the seashore, standing in the division between the two lobes of the heart, the two sides of the whole, where she feels the soft breeze rippling her loose hair and caressing her naked body.

“The heart is the first organ to form during the development of the body”, she says out loud, looking at the horizon. After a pause to breathe slowly, she continues, as if talking to mythical beings – mermaids, Nereids – the sea nymphs, even Poseidon with his son Triton and daughter Ursula, in person:

“I’ve read somewhere that an embryo is made up of only a very few cells, each cell can get the nutrients it needs directly from its surroundings. But as the cells divide and multiply to form a growing ball, it soon becomes impossible for nutrients to reach all the cells efficiently without help. The cells also produce waste that they need to get rid of. So the blood and circulatory system, powered by the heart, together, form the first organ system to develop. They are essential to carry nutrients and waste around the embryo to keep its cells alive. The Heart is the very core of Life, carrying out the vital job of pumping blood around our body. In realms with Magic, it is possible to reach for another part of the Heart, the one that carries our divine essence by being the bridge that connects our physical body to our spiritual body. Thus, people born with special magic are able to extract from the chest and return to the chest this essential part of the Heart, where Free Will resides.”

“In this context, with all due respect you deserve, I have a few questions for you. Who among you, divinities and deities that inhabit the Seas, is capable of answering: What does justify that a woman, in the exercise of the magic powers with which she was bestowed, may keep under her not consented guard, with selfish ends of domination and despotism, a collection of that part of the heart that shelters the souls of others, subtracting their freedom and their right of choice?”

“What absence of a deeper knowledge justifies her lack of compassion? What cruel pragmatism justifies this woman to try and reach an end - whose validity does not enter into this question – by using and abusing of magical means for reducing to dust the hearts of two beings that have never ever done any harm to her? And she does that in cold blood, insensible to their fear and despair,  **visibly stamped on their faces** \- her defenseless victims - that, for her, are not ‘REAL’ people?”

“How do you justify that this woman, without ever having researched about it, without any theoretical or practical reference, can tell a young man that his mother is very possibly dead and then proceed to try to replace his mother on his heart? I remember that said ‘dead’ woman is alive, conscious, and healthy and talking to you from this enchanted island.”

“So please, I beg you to explain to me, how can the daughter of those beings, murdered in cold blood in front of the boy, forgive this woman?”

“I do not bring here any questions about other injustices that upset me, such as the Split-Evil Queen’s wish that sent me to this island, in the first place. I do not ask you to explain the motives that lead innocent human beings, such as young Liam and Killian Jones, to be sold by their father as slaves, neither another villain, Rumpelstiltskin, to commit so many atrocities, such as to condemn a soul that was close to moving on to Heaven, to perish eternally in the river of Lost Souls. I will not ask you to explain the absurdity of allowing Milah’s soul, thanks to Rumple’s betrayal, to be condemned to such an unfortunate fate - without anyone ever knowing about that, especially Killian. Nor am I going to ask about other injustices I witnessed in the Underworld, like the same tragic fate of Dorothy’s aunt, Em. It is not for me to question about them, but at least I am venting, because that was also choked in my throat.”

“My questions are about Regina, whom they now call ‘Good Queen’. My ultimate question is how to develop, in me, true forgiveness, based on true understanding? Rationally, theoretically, I know that the way to free myself from this pain is through forgiveness. But how do I learn to accept so many injustices and, finally, get to live fully and viscerally the true forgiveness?”

To Emma’s questions, the answers are the eternal movement of the sea and the sound of the waves kissing the sands, in an infinite coming and going. With open arms and closed eyes, Emma breathes, in and out, slowly and deeply, the breeze that blows. Kneeling on the sands, with the head lowered, she cries in silence. Calmness permeates her soul, tired of purging her demons, and a sense of cleansing and clarity envelops her without her being able to rationally process what she is feeling. Standing up, she walks to the sea and dives into the still warm waters, although the night, with the sun already low in the sky, approaches and brings with it a cooler breeze.

Because of the cold, Emma comes out of the water and goes back home running along the same straight axis that crosses the island. She pasts the source of pure water to quench her thirst and pick up her clothes - a little drier but still wet, and continues to run, naked body and soul, to the house. At home, she prepares an immersion bath with salts, herbs and essential oils, lies down in the tub and stays there, relaxed and dreamy with closed eyes, until the water begins to cool.

The night falls calmly on the island while Emma, Luna and Missy enjoy a dinner showered with silence and circumspection. Missy soon retires for the second room of the house, but Emma, sleepless, sits down on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Her distant gaze, dancing with the reflection of the flames, returns to earth as Luna approaches and snuggles into an armchair, watchful companion during Emma’s incursions into the spirit world.

“Emma!” A familiar, soft, distant voice echoes through the house from the mezzanine.

“Princess Emma!” The feminine voice repeats the call. “Up here, my daughter!” The voice continues.

Emma hears the call but cannot believe in the reality of the sound. In doubt, she runs up the stairs and stops when she gets at the top, confused and perplexed. Before her, the image of her mother, Snow White, Queen of the Wish Realm, smiles lovingly, gazing at her from the magic mirror.

“Mom?” she asks, stunned.

“Yes, sweet heart”, the grey-haired queen answers, “do not doubt your senses, I am really your Mother. Thanks to the goodness of the gods, your father and I have accompanied you throughout your days on the island, watching over you, from Heaven, through devices similar to your magic mirror or, sometimes, through the most reliable windows that exist between our worlds: the eyes of your pets, Luna and Missy.”

“Heeey, my adorable little princess!” The Charming King exclaims smiling, entering on the screen.

“Dad?” Emma exclaims, tears streaming down her face as she slowly sits in the armchair in front of the mirror.

“Daddy present - not in flesh, but in spirit!!” The generous King David assures her. “Today we were blessed with the most special grace. Your words and questions touched the heart of the Gods and deities and then they decided to grant us the right to appear to you so that you could see us and we could talk to you reassuringly.”

“Emma, listen to us, our time is short” says Queen Snow. “First and most, never ever forget that you are loved by us. We Love you, Emma. We will always love, protect and find you…”

“Snow! That was  **my** line!!” David protests.

“You can say it again later, Charming, on your turn, do not worry. But now, my daughter, it is my turn: we want you to know that we are in Peace, in Light, that we are in Heaven. Look, Life is made up of both good and bad times, and the cycle is one that we cannot control. It is something that is subjected to everybody, no matter if kings or common workers. Nobody on earth can avoid what is fated. When you have good moments in your life, make sure that you enjoy them to the fullest, for what comes up must always go down. The same is true in reverse - when you are in a bad situation, things will eventually become better again. This is the reason for never losing Hope.”

“Greater forces that are outside of human control are always at work”, Snow continues. “The same forces that govern the changing of the seasons, or the rising and setting of the sun are also the master of luck and the fate of individuals. Where it lands is as random as chance - you may find yourself at either the top or bottom, but remember that no matter what the outcome is it may not last for very long, for the wheel always turns.”

“Regina – the three of them – exercised her free will but, at the same time, did not have a choice in the whole picture, unwillingly or not, and the same applies for Liam, Killian and their father, hundreds of years ago, the same for Milah, or for Rumple, same for you and for your father and me. Just remember that what happened – and how it happened - was necessary so that you and your Killian could cross the time-space barrier and embark, now, on your true love journey. You two are blessed with the purest and rarest love. Finding your true love is the most precious treasure I could wish for you, my daughter, my precious Emma. Don’t ever lose Hope that everything will be alright, because that is true.”

“My turn now, Snow,” the King interrupts the Queen, smiling. “At first, a brief message: I’ve been in contact with your first husband, ‘Sir’ Bae, and he asked me to send you his blessing. He knows about your adventures and wishes to you, Henry - and Killian as well, all the love in the world. W. Bae is fine, Emma, quite happy next to his mother, Milah, and to the other Bae, whom some people call Neal. Speaking of him, his entrance into Heaven was conditioned to true forgiveness and regret - after all, the resentment he felt for being ‘abandoned’ by his mother was not enough to stop him from abandoning the young Emma Swan paying in a prison for a crime he had committed - no matter he did not know she was pregnant. Learning to contextualize before judging and condemning (as he did with Killian during centuries) was necessary for ‘Neal’ to redeem the essence of his true self, that is, Baelfire. At the same time that W. Bae died and entered Heaven more easily, Bae went through a trial in which he was faced with the tribulations of his life, from the feeling of rejection by his parents, to the selfishness which he developed as a defense mechanism but also led him to blameworthy actions in the Land without Magic. After recognizing his faults, he gained access to heaven. Once they were reunited, the two Baes waited for the soul of their mother, Milah, to conquer the right to join them. That has always been the true happy ending for the three of them. In this story, another demonstration that misguided decisions can be rectified was given when our counterparts, Snow and David, chose Bae’s false identity to name their son. Because of that, Hermes, god of many attributes among them  _language_ , had a lot of work so that the word ‘Neal’ would not be stigmatized and impregnated with the energy of unjust homages.”

“As for your difficulties in understanding, accepting and forgiving what Regina did, what I have to tell you is that Regina (the three of them) has already paid - and still pays - for her misdeeds; she is now, finally, completely learning her lessons, the three of them are. It is not for us to judge her, no matter how tempting the judgment is, it is not up to us. It’s not up to you, because our vision – your vision - is limited when it comes to spanning every angle and every aspect of her life. Infinity is an abstract concept, but it is what better defines the degree of wisdom necessary for getting a full glimpse of the whole.”

“Just in case, if you have any further doubt, Honey, the tarot card that describes more accurately the moment you are living is ‘The Wheel of Fortune’ in the upright side. Do you remember how we used to play tarot?” He asks and Emma nods affirmatively. “It is one of the most highly symbolic cards in the deck, filled with many signs and many meanings. If you remember well, at the center of the card there is a giant wheel covered by esoteric symbols. There are different creatures that surround the wheel; the angel, the eagle, the bull and the lion. The books that the creatures hold communicate wisdom and self-understanding. The snake indicates the act of descending into material world. On the wheel rides a sphinx that sits at the top, and what appears to be a devil, Anubis, arises at the bottom. These two figures are representative of both the wisdom of the gods and kings (sphinx) and the underworld (Anubis). They are rotating forever, cyclically, and this suggests that as one comes up, the other goes down.”

“You asked for an understanding that could help you to develop feelings of acceptance and forgiveness, and that is what we bring to you.” David summarizes, and concludes: “Remember: Changes, Cycles, Inevitable Fate – in that order, these are the keywords that represent what Regina triggered when she killed us. She put the wheel to spin, generating change. The cycle of your stay in the heart-shaped island is completing a full period, which will lead you to your inevitable fate: finding your True Love.”

“Emma,” Snow comes again, “our time is expiring, but we will continue to look after you, Henry, Killian, Alice and everybody else, including Regina – all of you. When the time comes, we will meet again in Heaven. Live your life in its fullness my daughter, be happy and strong, and know that we are happy too, we are well. We love you, Emma, forever!”

“And we always find each other!!” David shouts giggling, almost disappearing and joining Snow in the ether.

…

Two o’clock in the morning, and Emma still can not get up from the armchair, always crying now for relief, now for longing, now for joy, now for sadness, now for regret, now for gratitude, now for love - an abundant, overflowing, eternal love for her parents…

In return for the blessing of meeting her parents, Emma plans to play some music not only for Killian, this time, but especially for them. The desire drives her to get up and look for a score that could better represent her longing, her eternal love and all her effort to overcome their absence. As she stands, she notices the side window of the mezzanine framing the full moon shining brightly over the sea, a picture of rare beauty. “Moonlight Sonata,” she whispers and goes straight to locate the score of this Beethoven play, composed in 1801. She finds it attached with some notes that read:

**"The Sonata is one of the most popular piano sonatas from Beethoven’s creation. It is also named The Moonlight Sonata by poet Ludwig Rellstab who, in 1832, had this inspiration on a moonlit night on the banks of the Lucerna River. This image has connection with the feeling that overwhelmed the composer when he took watch at the side of a friend who prematurely left the world of the living. In one of Beethoven’s manuscripts there are several notes from Mozart’s Don Juan, notes that follow the killing of the Commander by Don Juan, and lower, this passage is rendered in C sharp minor in absolute resemblance to the first part of the sonata in C sharp minor. Analyzing and comparing, one could realize that it cannot be the case of a romantic moonlit night, but rather of a solemn funeral hymn.**

**The piano sonata has three parts:**

**I. Adagio Sostenuto.**

**II. Allegretto.**

**III. Presto Agitato.**

**The parts of the sonata give the impression of a whole ‘first of all’ through the elaboration of themes and motifs. Consequently, the main musical theme of the first part becomes very elaborate in the second part, and the second motif of the main theme will be encountered in the first theme of part III.**

**Part I – Adagio Sostenuto - is based on an accompanying motif in triplet rhythm that, together with an accented notes motif, creates the impression of a grave, meditative state of mind. The composer adds the following direction at the beginning of the first part: "Si deve suonare tutto pezzo delicatissimamente e senza sordino” which means that the performer should play the part with great delicacy and without dampers.**

**The second part - Allegretto - is very small in size which leads to the idea that it was conceived more as a connection between the first and third part, rather than a part all by itself. The feeling is now denser in consistency, and the fairly meditative character of the first part gradually fades away, preparing the tumult of the third part.**

**The third part – Presto Agitato - is twice as long as the first two parts. This part is the representation of a storm of emotions..."**

**…**

“Mom, Dad: this song is for you; I love you and I will always find you…” Emma smiles solemnly as she sits at the piano and starts to play:

[Suite N. 5 - Opus 1 (Emma) to Suite N. 5 - Opus 2 (Killian)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOsOUcikyGRk&t=M2I1YTc1YzliZTE4NWRmMjM3OGVhNTk3NTQzMGFiZDRiZmYyNTEwMixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

At the end of the fourth day sailing in the open sea, Killian spotted a landmark for the first time. Looking around its shore, he realized that it is a relatively small island and that, as Alice had told him, it is not registered on any maps he brought on board. “It certainly does not have the shape of a heart, but maybe it’s a good idea to anchor and make a basic reconnaissance of the beach for a future reference…” he commented to Bill, who already began to prepare the rowboat to go ashore.

However, as the night was falling, they decided to wait for the morning to step on land. Thus, after four days sailing the high seas at high speed, the ship is at rest and Killian is now recoiled in his quarters, lying but awake. The light of the full moon enters through the window, bringing the interplay of light and shadow to illuminate his memories on a distant past, memories of moments lived in this same cabin centuries ago. With concentration, Killian can still hear the giggles from Liam calling him ‘little brother’ just to tease him, or Milah’s soft voice and moans of pleasure on nights of full moon, like this one…

“I miss them so much. It doesn’t matter if centuries have passed, the longing remains,” Killian mutters.

Even though nowadays he loves and misses Milah in a platonic way, he just wishes that her soul, and Liam’s, are resting in peace - **in heaven**. He has heard the stories lived in the Underworld regarding Liam’s and Milah’s souls, but those might not be the souls of Wish Liam and Wish Milah, he is not really sure about that. Even Aladdin could not answer with certainty if before the intersection of paths the Wish Realm already existed like… since ever. The other alternative would be the occurrence of a division (or a multiplication, depending on the interpretation) of worlds, at an undetermined point along the timeline - a magic process similar to the split that resulted in two Reginas. In the case of the worlds, however, every human being would preserve his/her whole essence, i.e. both sides would preserve the integrity of the original, instead of what happened to Regina, who tried to separate her Good and Evil sides.

Killian believes that the outcome of what actually happened would be better described as a duplication of worlds. Indeed, after long discussions, back in Storybrooke, with Emma Swan-Jones and Killian, the three logically inferred that the concept of duplication at some point makes more sense when considering the free will factor and the multitude of individual choices.

“ _The likability of having **always**  existed two identical worlds with identical story lines is close to the abstract concept of absolute zero_… _”_   _K.J. conjectured._   _“So, despite the magic ‘coincidence’ of mirrored people generated with identical genetic codes, as it happened with the two Emmas and two Henrys for example, in no realistic other way **every**  single person and his/her counterpart - with free will in both worlds **-**  would have an  **identical past, with identical choices and identical unfolding**  up to the moment the Dark Curse was cast. The question that remained was, then:  **when**  the multiplication would have occurred?_”

During one of their nightly meetings, the three came to the conclusion that the definite moment for the Dark Curse to be cast in one world - but not in the other - might necessarily be linked to Bae and his decision about where to go after Neverland. By then, two replicated Enchanted Forest and two versions of Bae had to exist so that one Bae could return to the Wish Realm while the other Bae would go to the Land without Magic. Although for that to happen other realms would have to be multiplied too – starting from Neverland. It might be nearly impossible to precisely determine  **when**  the process was triggered, since time is frozen in Neverland, but at some fuzzy moment, ‘1’ Neverland would have to be multiplied by a factor of ‘2’ and from that ‘magic’ operation two Neverlands began to exist. Obviously, the outcome would also be the duplication of people. In other words, from that moment on there had do exist two Baes, two Killians, two Pans, two Tinkerbells, two Tiger Lilies, etc. In conclusion, when those two Baes and, soon after them, the two Killians, left their respective Neverland, the two Enchanted Forests already existed: in one of them the Dark Curse would be cast by Regina, because Rumple wanted to find his son in the Land without Magic; whilst in the other it wouldn’t, because Rumple didn’t need Regina to cast it since he had already found his son and the two settled their differences and reconciled.

_“Don’t you think that all this mesh of people and worlds is **waaay**  out of the league of a mere Lamp Genie?” Emma asked. “Don’t get me wrong, with all respect for the huge power of a genie - and I know they are more powerful than most people with magic - but being able to ‘create worlds’, ‘create people’,  ‘define fate,’… all of this sounds more like a divine intervention - and a genie is not a god!”_

_“In part you might be right, but in part I think you’re mistaken, luv,” her husband replied absently. “Genies have autonomy for great acts of magic such as creating, shrinking, and transporting worlds, they do. On the other hand, the creation of all stories - the way we know they have developed and interconnected - may be too complex to be associated with the granting of a single wish.”_

_“But the domino effect needs to be taken into account,” K.J. intervened. “Fate can be defined by the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in China,” he smiled teasingly. “Now, studying the subject with magnifying lenses, the whole picture becomes very confusing. An analytical mind that witnessed the unfolding of our stories would have the impression of being faced with a messy mixed salad of mismatched, contradictory and misaligned plots - both in time and space…”_

_“That!” Killian interrupted. “Perhaps the Olympus immortal gods, to escape their tedious immortality, have resolved to amuse themselves at the expense of mortals - us, always wrapped in plots perhaps far more interesting than the ones they live. Maybe the Author’s pens are their instruments to create narrative mazes such as the ones we live in.”_

_“Then, applying this concept to our lives,” K.J. continued the reasoning, “the image that comes to my mind is one of playful - and immature - deities writing our stories not taking into account any logic of narrative continuity and consistency. Perhaps the secret of Rumpelstiltskin relied on the immaturity of said ‘writers’ that allowed him to seek and find loopholes from which he wielded almost every evil.”_

_“You may be right,” Emma added, “but we have to give credit to Rumple and concede that some plots were really ingenious - although these ‘demigod children’ seem more for apprentices of divine writers than divine writers.” Emma inhaled deeply before continuing, “as every apprentice does, sometimes they simply do a bad writing job, sometimes they do a so-so writing job but, sometimes, they do create a masterpiece. Hmmm, what would their names be? I’d risk a few shots; maybe some pretty common names such as… Eddy and Adam!”_

…

“If we got to the right conclusions”, Killian wonders, “that means that there might be only one Captain Liam Jones soul, who has rightfully and well deservedly moved on to Heaven. However, as a consequence of this same reasoning, Milah’s soul, the only Milah, might be condemned to eternal suffering in the River of Lost Souls”, he shakes his head sadly, while pokes his nose. “I’m not sure how that could have happened - Emma and Killian never understood as well, especially because Rumple was not specific – as always - and blamed Hades. As always he never admitted anything and preferred to be reticent and talk in riddles, not to mention that he probably lied and tricked since he was in his Dark One motto.”

“Furthermore” he continues, “now that I’m thinking about it, our father might have been ‘doubled’ too, since he was frozen for centuries by a sleeping curse and crossed the barrier of time – and that would allow him to cross the barrier of space. In other words, one Brennan Jones died, killed by my ‘twin-brother’, and his son from a second marriage, also named Liam (Liam-2), now lives with Captain Nemo – both of whom I have not, yet, had the pleasure of meeting. Besides, the other Brennan Jones, the Wish counterpart, could be alive, as well as another W. Liam-2 – and I haven’t met them, either… and… that… is… too… much… … information… …to… … …process…”

Lulled by circular thoughts that follow a dreamy moonlight sonata, sleep slowly overcomes his waking mind and Killian falls asleep. A restorative sleep returns him refreshed in the early morning, and as soon as he opens his eyes, his gaze turns directly to the table in the center of the cabin, above which he had placed the vase with the flower buds – one of the three gifts from the three Reginas.

_3\. Flower buds, which will bloom when the right people appear on your path._

“The magic flowers are blooming!” he exclaims excitedly, examining the red and pink carnations, quite aware that he is about to meet important people. Although the uncertainty degree ahead is still high, he quickly deduces that the meeting with the ‘right’ people will probably take place on land, that is, on the island where they will set foot soon, immediately after breakfast.

To placate his anxiety and mentally prepare for the next meeting (“with strangers, perhaps, or with known people, or both, who knows…”), before the breakfast (“that Smith is probably already cooking”), Killian opens his laptop and connects via radio to the satellite internet. Although the radio signal is weak, he manages to open the browser and makes a quick search: “carnations” and what he finds leaves him optimistically intrigued.

**"With a history that dates back more than 2,000 years, it’s not surprising that carnations are rich with symbolism, mythology and even debate. While some scholars suggest that their name comes from the word ‘corone’ (flower garlands) or ‘coronation’ because of its use in Greek ceremonial crowns, others propose that it’s derived from the Latin ‘carnis’ (flesh) referring to the flower’s original pinkish-hued color or ‘incarnacyon’ (incarnation), referring to the incarnation of God-made flesh.**

**Today, carnations can be found in a wide range of colors, and while in general they express love, fascination and distinction, virtually every color carries a unique and rich association. White carnations suggest pure love and good luck, light red symbolizes admiration, while dark red represents deep love and affection. Purple carnations imply capriciousness, and pink carnations carry the greatest significance, beginning with the belief that they first appeared on earth from Mother Mary’s tears – making them the symbol of a mother’s undying love."**

…

Before arriving at the beach, from the rowboat Killian and his mates W. Smee and Bill spot distant points appearing on the seafront. With the aid of a lunette, Killian identifies them as two women and six men - “a veritable entourage” he comments, “seemingly friendly as they are waving and smiling”.

Getting closer, he recognizes one of the women, who comes running in their direction: “Ariel…I mean, she looks like W. Ariel!” he says, welcoming her smile with one of his own, though he does not understand what has happened to her tail as she is running with a pair of legs wearing a knee-length skirt.

“Hook!” she shouts, approaching the seashore as the boat gets closer.

“Ariel!” he replies, “is that really you? I mean, Wish Ariel?”

“Yes!!! In flesh, bone and… legs!!” she snaps back giggling and exhibiting her feet.

“How is that possible?” he asks.

“Magic bracelets, see?” She shows her fists with bracelets, “same as those used by my ‘twin-sister’ Ariel. My father, King Triton, was generous with me and… here, let me help you, give me your hook so I will help you out of the boat… Killian? But, where is your…”

“…Hook?” he interrupts humorously, showing the prosthesis, “I’m also using a kind of ‘magic’ from the Land  **without**  Magic called ‘technology’!” he explains hugging his friend. “I missed you, Ariel…” and she nods, saying back “missed you too!”

“So, meet Mr. Smee – but we call him W. Smee because there is another Mr. Smee aboard, and, here, Bill Wyatt”, he introduces his inland crew. “Mates, this is my good friend Princess Ariel.”

“Welcome to Carnation Island, sirs”, she greets them graciously.

As both sailors bow in reverence, the inland group approaches. She turns to the group and begins to introduce them by their names: “Please, meet my grandfather, Poseidon, my Aunt Ursula, my father, Triton, Captain Nemo, ”

“Father? Is that you?” Killian cuts in the moment she was about to introduce a man who appeared to be in his mid-seventies.

“Brennan Jones, at your service, my son”, the man responds holding out a hand. During the ensuing pause, Killian and Brennan lock their eyes in mutual recognition until Killian, returning from the trance, slowly reaches out for shaking hands.

“I know you’re on an important journey and you are not planning to delay it, but I expect you to stay on the island long enough for us to talk a little bit, Killian,” Brennan says.

“We will see, Father,” Killian replies and turn his sight to the two other men who haven’t been introduced yet, one looking to be in his early-fifties and the other in his early-thirties, “and you two… are?” Killian asks.

“Liam Jones!” both men reply simultaneously.

Killian smiles and welcomes his two half-brothers with an embrace. Giggling, he says: “You don’t need to explain anything; I understand the weird ‘configuration’ of our family after crossing time-space barriers in two duplicated realms. For someone outside, the explanation would sound incomprehensible - only an insider can decipher this puzzle!!” he jokes and his brothers laugh.

…

Killian has been on Carnation Island for less than one hour but everything is happening so quickly and intensely that he can barely process the information he is getting and the emotion he is feeling. In such a short time, he already knows that in the Underworld Arthur has become a righteous king by promoting a true revolution that includes the release, from the River of Lost Souls, of some souls who should not have fallen into it. Among them, Milah, his Milah, was saved. The happiness and relief he feels is indescribable, a sense of  **justice**  and  **merit**  earned by her. He learned that she has moved on and is in Heaven with her two sons, Bae and Wish Bae. “I’m  **so**  happy for her. I can picture her: painting wonderful canvas, running in the landscape with freedom… singing meaningful songs - she had such a beautiful voice; I can see her beautiful smile, her deep, bright, blue eyes… I hope she is truly happy, as she deserves.” Killian says with emotion.

“She  **is**  happy,” Killian, Poseidon assures him, “in peace. As in peace is also your mother’s soul, she’s been there for quite a while. Your brother Liam met Alice as soon as he arrived, they use to sail and, sometimes, they take your father with them, I mean, the non-Wish version of your father,” he teases and Triton continues, “I’ve always told you, Father, that the Wish Realm idea was a really crazy one - but no complains on my part. After all, because my daughter, Princess Ariel, by asking to have legs and to be able to marry a human prince, ended up entering this wish-duplication game, which resulted in two Princesses - my joy has doubled then!!” He and Poseidon laugh out loud.

“Killian,” Ursula calls out, approaching with the rest of the group. “The reason for our meeting, in addition to bringing you the comfort of the news about your deceased loved ones, in addition to introducing your brothers, Captain Nemo and your Wish Father, who by the way sail the seas together, the four of them, in the submarine Nautilus… the main reason for gathering here is another one.”

At that, Triton and Poseidon, pointing their tridents to the seashore, bring up 13 armchairs in a circle, so that everyone can sit comfortably and talk, including Mr. Smee and Kevin, who are magically transported to the island. “Do not worry about the Jolly Roger, she’s safe,” Ariel explains.

“Yesterday,” Poseidon heads to Killian and continues, “your Emma, your Princess Emma, from the beachfront on the heart-shaped island, addressed us, deities and inhabitants of the seas. Her words, of intense energy, rose to the Olympus and caused commotion and some positive reactions up there, which resulted in a direct intervention from Zeus. On the other hand, Ursula, Triton, Ariel and I, the  **actual**  recipients of Emma’s words, invited our good friend Nemo and his crew, comprising, as you know, your brothers and your father, to meet you and your crew on this island. We understand that that was fair and necessary, for keeping the balance of forces throughout the magic suite of songs that you and Emma are composing…”

“Beautiful, by the way,” Ursula interrupts dreamily. “My musical ears thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

“The music has been a balm to mortal ears too,” Nemo interrupts, “the seas have been brighter and happier since the Jolly Roger began her journey to Heart Island.”

“That is true in many senses”, Triton explains. “What you two are doing means much more than a journey of a man and a woman finding each other. It represents a long overdue repair for many disjointed stories lacking from a smoother matching. They depended of the right move of a single piece on Fate’s chessboard to return to their right places where they belong. Each movement of your epic journey, which is translated into a music added to the suite, the Sweet Suite, represents a great number of alignments of destiny lines and that is the reason for Nemo being able to feel the love spread in the air – and waters!!”

Killian nods, silently, reverently, absorbing the enormity of what is being revealed.

“Killian,” Brennan stands up and takes the word. “The honor of addressing these words was granted me by the High Court of the Seas, which fills this old heart with joy and gratitude. They asked me to let you know that you and Emma have been together during this entire journey, even though physically separated. The final result of it is granted in the big picture, rest assured about that. But it is also up to you and to Emma, to your individual choices, to define how you will get there. You have freedom to choose your path, we all have, and sometimes we chose wrong and cause a lot of suffering and pain in the process, sometimes we create a lot of karma that will require a lot of repairing work from our part, in the future, until righting what we wronged. But the outcome never changes; you and Emma, as true lovers, will always find each other, it may take centuries and lots of misleads, but you will get there.”

“In your path to Emma – and in her path to you, there are still challenges ahead that you both need to overcome in order to turn your victory the sweetest and longest lasting. However the obstacles you still have to face, know that you are under the protection of the gods and of your friends and family, who love you, even though among these beings there is one who is not sure if deserves your love in return, neither your forgiveness. Even though, my son, I ask your forgiveness for the harm I have done to you and your brother in a distant past. My long life has been a constant search to be worthy of you forgiveness.” Brennan concludes with a voice filled with emotion.

Taken by emotion, Killian stands up and walks slowly towards his father, embracing him for long moments during which all remain silent. Finally, Killian pats his father’s back and says: “It’s all right, Papa, today I’m the man I’ve always wanted to be, just like you. You have my love back, and my forgiveness.”

After enough time for father and son turn to their seats, Poseidon clears his throat and goes on: “Well, to finish off the words of your father, Killian, we have a few more warnings to give you. Your journey is near completion, continue to follow the light of the heart shaped ruby, it will guide you… until you get very close to the island, when it will not shine anymore. But, do not panic when that happens, you will not have lost the right track, the right route. This will be a sign that the next guideline will come soon. Wait for the next indication that will be sent to you by a magic that has yet to be enacted.”

“I cannot tell you everything because, as your father explained, the challenges and choices are part of the journey, but don’t worry about Emma’s physical and mental wellbeing. The island where she lives is a prime mover in terms of architectural design. She is not alone, as you fear. She has the companion of two very special pets, a dog and a kitten, and she practices various therapeutic activities. She is also being prepared for this journey, during the 6 years she has lived there, by being informed through a magic screen of events in the outside world.”

While Poseidon spoke, Killian acquiesced with shining eyes, already accumulating tears that threatened to fall. After the God’s speech, he almost does not find his voice to barely say, “Thank you,” but, despite the inner struggle, he manages to find strength to continue:

“The words are trying to run away,” he shakes his head almost sobbing, “I-i don’t know if I can be eloquent with so much emotion… My-y heart is completely filled with gratitude for the goodness of all of you and I feel honored by the responsibility of leading, through my personal journey with Emma, a whole process of alignment of destinies and stories, previously unsettled. I thank you for your trust and your protection; I hope to honor them by following the right path and making the right choices. In my name and Emma’s, I thank you all,” he concludes, tears streaming freely from his eyes.

“No more crying!” Poseidon proclaims, whilst crying himself, raising the trident and magically bringing a table full of drinks and delicacies to the center of the circle. “Killian, you’ve suffered enough and have shown yourself strong enough to be released from your addiction, a disease that, in general, has no cure, and can only be controlled through a combination of free will, therapy and a lovingly supportive environment. However, you have earned the healing; accept it as my special gift.” Poseidon imposes one hand on Killian’s head and says: “relax now and enjoy your freedom; you can go back to drinking without fear of losing control, ‘young’ man; your chemical addition is over.”

Triton, also enthralled, cuts them: “And now, the best moment has come: Gentlemen, let’s celebrate and cheer up!” he proclaims as they all raise their wine glasses and toast “to Killian and Emma from the Wish Realm, to Captain Sweet!! Cheers!!”

“Cheers!!!!” the chorus of voices responds.

“Include the gentlewomen in your next toast, Father!” Ariel protests teasingly as she hugs Killian. “Killian,” she whispers in his ear, “have you figured out already what will be the next song you will sing? I’m so curious…”

“Not yet”, he answers smiling, “not yet…”

“We can all sing and play along, you know?” Ursula suggests all lively, “you say which song it will be and we will follow you!”

…

They are gathered on the deck of the Jolly Roger. During the banquet, Killian got an inspiration and chose a song full of joy, gratitude and love to Emma, who started the process of contacting the gods. They have rehearsed the song many times, in between laughs, food and drinks. Because of her musical attributes, Ursula conducted, with the help of Ariel, the various rehearsals, arranging voices and instruments.

The final arrangement includes Ursula and Ariel leading the chorus with Mr. Smee and W. Smee, Nemo at the piano, Triton and Brennan playing guitar and bass, Kevin and Bill taking care of the drums, both Liams playing violins and Poseidon playing saxophone. After the definite performance, Nemo and his crew will be magically transported to the Nautilus by Ursula – who had invited them to the meeting in the island, while Poseidon and the others will puff themselves to Triton’s Palace, on the seabed.

Killian, as the leading singer, stands in front of them, waiting for when the Jolly Roger starts to sail leaving Carnation Island. The moment the ship begins to be carried by the wind he closes his eyes, inhales deeply and shouts: “On three - one… two… three!!”

[Suite N. 5 - Opus 2 (Killian) to Suite N. 6 - Opus 1 (Emma)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOmFgAHdhONU&t=YzJmNjNjM2IzZGRjMzY5OTU5NDk4OTZkODU3NjYxYmM0MTFlMjdhYixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

## Mount Olympus

As the best representatives of human nature, gods and goddesses sometimes know how be cruel and fickle, passionate and vindictive, jealous and insecure, petty and insane: the embodiment of human solipsism. This way, the voyage of Killian and Emma has kept the gods and goddesses of the Pantheon in constant alertness and debate. For some, Zeus and Poseidon’s decision to open the passages and only create inner obstacles that can be overcome by the force of True Love may tend to make their journey worthless - or less pleasant to watch.

“What’s so funny about watching Captain Swan, as it happens now, and Captain Sweet as, the way things are going, it may also happen very soon, flirting and making love in between watching a movie on Netflix? For us, as audience, a story line without a classic and good antagonism, a fight between forces of good and evil should not interest because it does not establish a trial for testing the protagonists', Wish Killian and Wish Emma, conduct as warriors! In the confront between plot versus character development, my vote is for plot!” argues Ares.

“As the goddess of love, sex and beauty, I disagree,” Aphrodite protests. “The inner battle that our heroes are struggling with has all the elements of a confrontation Evil versus Good. The fact that there is no blood spurt does not mean that there is no inner conflict, and, aesthetically, the beauty of True Love is a balm of which the world is lacking. Besides, Killian and Emma - in any version, as kindred spirits and emblem of beauty and sensuality, are a magic eye drop.”

“Well, depending on the approach, you can see a plot as a character development - that would be its goal in this case, in other words, it would be unfolded by establishing conditions for a deep psychological development, for a more artistic narrative dealing with delicate, subtle, tissues. Therefore, for my part, no claim, absolutely none. I wouldn’t change anything. As ‘audience’ I am fully satisfied with such a  _plot_ ,” intervenes Apollo, god of music, arts, knowledge, healing, prophecy, poetry, manly beauty, and archery.

“As the goddess of reason, wisdom,  **and** war,” Athena takes the floor, “I propose a combination of both sides. We maintain the open path condition, as proposed by Zeus and Poseidon, but involve a wider range of people in the challenges that Killian and Emma will still have to overcome. The complexity of the plot will increase exponentially as the barriers that will arise from now on can only be overcome if more people take a more active part in the choices, governed by free will, and its consequences. This way, the new ‘episodes’ will attract our interest and our audience. All agree? Pay to see?”

## Heart-Shaped Island

Puff!! And a frustrated sigh followed by “one more time”.

Puff! And a victorious simile, “yeah! You go, girl!”

…

With the joy Emma felt right after lunch and being Killian’s happiness so contagious, she felt ready to practice her magic more audaciously and try new tricks and goals, such as shrinking small objects and then unraveling them. Apart from a few times when she has increased them in size rather than shrinking them, let alone an initial difficulty for getting them back to their original size, so far her success rate has been reasonably high.

“But I’m using such small objects, I think I could try with something bigger, maybe a kitchen stool…” she wonders, “I just hope I won’t turn it on any dangerous weapon or a gigantic stool that will not fit inside the house anymore”, she fears.

In the kitchen, Emma prepares herself looking at the stool, concentrating, and… failing.

…

One… two… three… four… five… countless times.

…

“Enough!” she shakes her head, giving up, “I’m blocked.” She walks defeated to the porch and sits on the swing, looking pensively at the horizon.

“I’m stuck,” she sniffs through her teeth.

“I was doing so well”, she continues, “already managing to move and to control the size of some objects – but for that they have to be small at the start. I do not understand why something in me is catching…” She conjectures, frustrated. “Well…deep down, I do know: I feel insecure. I fear I won’t be able to control my magic, I fear I may not be powerful enough, or, perhaps, my magic may be too strong and I will let it get out of control… I simply have no idea about what to do, and how. In the library I found no magic manual, no guidance about how to breathe and concentrate. I simply have no knowledge and there is no one here in the island to teach me, to guide me in the art of magic.”

“I guess I was expecting too much, overestimating too much, wishing too much…” she says in between low sobs, “I wish I could pack the whole house, so cozy and practical, to give it to Henry - a gift from his mother who has always remembered, missed and thought of him, cared for him, loved him… I wish this house could welcome him as a new home - a cozy bachelor home, with the same warmth that it has welcomed me. I wish we could live as neighbors, Henry and I, hopefully… in Storybrooke, or close to it in a fresh new life that would mix different lifestyles combining technology and magic - the best of both sides.”

“I’m not sure about how Killian and I will settle down, how our living arrangements will be. I guess we will live together, I guess… or at least I hope so…”

“Anyway, I do not wish to live in”…Emma smiles sadly because of the pun “…to live in the ‘Wish’ Realm, in our old palace. Of course Henry is an adult now, a king, but maybe he’d better off being away from that palace – there are too many memories there that should remain as such, as memories. Besides, based on how many times I saw him traveling to other realms, it seems that he already avoids being there.”

“Perhaps our palace could be completely renovated, transformed into a new space, a Royal Museum, or a Science Museum… or a College, or all of it and more, also including a school of Magic - I would study at this school…” she continues in between smiling and dreaming, “but not only Magic, it could include all sort of Art – I could be a teacher of Music!”

## Grannys', Storybrooke

For one of these coincidences that, deep down, we know they are not, they met this afternoon at Grannys'.

_From David, Snow and Neal’s part, the meeting with Gideon and Blue had already been scheduled a few days ago, since Neal’s magic, usually just incipient, began to get somewhat out of control. In fact, it was Blue who examined Neal and found it best to turn to her godson, Gideon, who occasionally visits her. And that’s how they managed a convergence for their individual agendas in that particular lunch time._

_As soon as Neal and Gideon began to talk, the door of the diner opened and Henry, Cinderella and Lucy entered accompanied by their visiting friends Tiana and Naveen. Although the geography of the United Realms is an indecipherable puzzle, the fact is that the realms of Tiana and Naveen are located to the south of Storybrooke, in Maine, with a climate that preserves the same characteristics of before. Despite to anyone without access to the United Realms none of this is real, the fact is that Tiana and Naveen are busy rulers who still lead their people - which made their travel to Storybrooke, also to meet Regina for diplomatic reasons, a rare opportunity for a special celebration._

_“Grandma, Grandpa, Blue!” Henry exclaimed as soon as he saw Snow and David talking with Blue. “Great to see you,” he said clapping David’s back._

_“Henry, Cindy, Lucy!!” Snow stood up for greeting them. “Tiana and Naveen, so good to see you too, I didn’t know you were coming, I hope you enjoy your stay in the capital!”_

_“Good, **great** , afternoon Snow and David!” Cinderella greeted Henry’s grandparents with a large smile, “I’m so glad to meet you today. Henry and I have been feeling like visiting you for ages, Lucy is always asking us to ‘go see Neal in his farm!’ And the best of all is that you get to meet with Tiana and Naveen too”._

_“It’s a pleasure to be here, Snow”, Tiana replied as Naveen smiled to them. “Henry talked so much about Grannys' lazzanne that this time in Storybrooke I made sure to come and meet our famous and dear old lady personally…” Tiana began to explain when she was interrupted by the opening of the kitchen door, from which **two** smiling old ladies loaded with lazanne platters appeared. One of them, for not having lived 28 years of frozen time, used to appear older than the other but they have submitted themselves to a rejuvenating blood magic, very popular among wish and non- wish counterparts, and after the procedure the younger’s age prevailed for both._

_“Did I hear someone mentioning my lazzannes?” asked Granny to what her ‘twin sister’ replied “our lazzannes, you mean?” and the two laughed good humored._

_“Granny!” Henry said, “I mean, Double-Granny!!”and he winked at Lucy, who had joined Neal and Gideon, “please, meet Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. Tiana is an excellent cook specialized in southern cuisine and was dying to know both of you to exchange recipes and culinary secrets, what do you think?”_

_“Sure! Come with us”, the two ladies answered in unisonous, and took Tiana to the kitchen to prepare more lazzannes for the newcomers. Meanwhile, Naveen, Henry and Cinderella sat near Snow and David to chat._

_To complete the setup, young Henry and Violet Morgan, thinking that the diner would be empty for them to talk more freely, also went to Grannys'. Only, to their surprise, they found the place full of acquaintances._

_“Maybe it’s good for everyone to get used to seeing us together,” Henry whispered to Violet, holding her hand, to which Violet smiled and nodded._

_Unlike the once shy teenager, Violet became a self-confident young lady with a brilliant mind and smile. Her relationship with Henry Mills, her first crush, has evolved into a friendship, even though she still finds it weird that the same Henry, who used to be her age, with whom she fell in love as a teenager, today is an adult more than 10 years older than her… Although her relationship with Henry Mills has not evolved romantically, with Wish Henry, on the contrary, the progression is happening much faster and more naturally. It’s too soon to know if it will be long-lasting, but it’s how she feels their love evolving and, as it turns out, how Henry feels too: a blooming flower._

After lunch, everyone is still at Grannys1, having coffee and chatting animatedly.

The two Henrys talk about Henry Mills’ career as a writer and, with his characteristic optimism when it comes to believe on happy endings, he reveals that he is thinking about writing The Sweet Suite book, if the ‘leading roles’ agree with that. “I’m thinking about something as a multimedia book, because the songs are part integrant of the story”, he explains to W. Henry.

On his part, W. Henry shares his plans of moving to Storybrooke - he will start to look for a place to live there soon. He believes that by using modern communication technology he will be able to take care of his realm from Storybrooke, as it is really close to the Wish Realm now, “barely half an hour, by car”. He will also be close to his mother, who most likely will live with Killian in the loft, not to mention that he will be close to Violet.

Henry Mills, remembering his teenage years, encourages this new relationship with Violet, a really special young lady. While they talk, their hands begin to shake and the two sense the ‘call’ from the Author’s Pen in W. Henry’s backpack. Quickly, W. Henry picks it up just in time for seeing the pen writing a new riddle on a white page of the story book:

 **Magic… that springs  
** **from a chanter heart**  
 **also comes from hands**  
 **that shoot an enchanted arrow**  
 **pointing from the North Time**  
 **to reach the South Heart**  
 **carrying completion and**  
 **confidence through**  
 **knowledge that frees**  
 **…Magic.**

…

All gather around the two Henrys to decode the riddle and it takes a while for it to start to make sense, at least structurally. Considering that both Henrys have been directly connected to the magic pen, which wrote the message, according to Gideon probably dictated by Gods, their first conclusion is that most likely the receipt of what they have to ‘do’ is Wish Emma. And that should be done by not only her son but also by the son of Emma Swan - and whoever may be connected to them. Because of this conclusion, they try to decode the riddle by breaking it in smaller parts, “trying to combine intuition and reasoning”, as explained by Blue. At the end they will join the pieces.

…

Snow and David start the process from the first line: ‘magic… that springs from a chanter heart’ – “that is the definite prove that the riddle is related to Emma Sweet. It’s talking about her magic, her magic that comes from her  _musical_ chanter heart”.

‘Also comes from hands that shoot an enchanted arrow’ is decoded by Neal and Lucy: “could be any archer’s hands but the best ones are Mom’s (“Great Grandma’s”, Lucy whispers to Snow, taking her hand), because her heart is connected with Emma’s by a  _sort_   _of_  mother-daughter bond; then she is the one to shoot a  _magic_ _arrow_!”

‘Pointing from the North Time’ - the two Grannies figure out that one. “Storybrooke is in the  _North_ , then she must shoot from the town’s  _clock_ , over the library…”

Tiana and Naveen get the meaning of the ‘South Heart’: “then she has to throw the arrow from Storybrooke, in the North… to reach  _South_ , where the  _heart-shaped_   _island_  might probably be located. According to what Regina has told us this morning, Emma is in a Heart Island - that was the last message Killian received  from her before he set sail”.

‘Carrying completion through knowledge’ is deciphered by Cinderella and Henry: “Emma is in need of a  _specific_ knowledge to possibly overcome an obstacle…” Cinderella says and Henry continues: “…so the arrow must be magically impregnated with a kind of knowledge” and Violet adds to their statement: “and ‘confidence’ means that Emma might be in need of a boost to her self-confidence…”

“ _…about_   _her_   _magic_   _power_!” Gideon and Blue complete in unisonous, deducing that the knowledge is about Magic.

To that, W. Henry finally completes that “the knowledge will  _free_  my mother’s  _magic_  to its fullness”.

…

David and Snow drive back home, for getting the bow and the arrow, while Neal helps Gideon and Blue with an enchantment for a compass and a potion to impregnate the arrow.

“Your mother needs to be at the top of her ‘archer’ self-confidence when shooting, and you will use your magic to give the arrow the direction and the push required to travel through space until reaching the island”, Gideon explains to Neal. “If we have figured out correctly the message, to carry confidence is exactly the function of the magic. The knowledge is not a ‘placebo effect’, though, there is real magic involved and the arrow will carry the knowledge on magic that Emma needs - Blue and I will make sure of that - but she will have to believe in her own power”, he adds.

“I think there is nothing to fear then,” says Blue, “as Snow is our champ in transmitting self-confidence and Henry Mills and Lucy can help us to produce a potion of true belief!”

…

In their way back to town, David and Snow talk about the missing Emma.

“You know, Snow, she could be our real daughter if the circumstances were reversed, and to be honest I do feel like she is, in a way, our daughter too…”

“Me too, David”, Snow confesses. “There is not a single scenario I can imagine in which I do not care for her as a daughter - well, if we think in terms of science of the land without magic, a DNA analysis would confirm our parenthood. Anyway, she is our daughter in our heart, and much loved…” Snow completes, with teary eyes, almost dramatically, while David drives the pickup truck back to Grannys'. “I am aware of my responsibility, David, but it is with my heart full of love and hope that I intend to concentrate while shooting the arrow.”

“I feel like our wish versions are confiding us their most precious treasure: their beloved little girl. I feel like now we have 3 children, Snow!!” David smiles and finishes parking the truck.

…

After impregnating the arrow with a magic potion and enchanting it to fly until its destination, everybody, except Snow, David and Neal, gathers on the street and waits in front of the library. In the clock tower, Neal prepares the enchanted compass so that Snow can align the arrow with the North-South line. David opens the clock window and Snow, visualizing a self-confident Emma in Heart Island, proceeds to shoot the enchanted arrow.

When the flash crosses the sky they all clap and cheer up, walking back to Grannys' to celebrate their achievement with a combination of Tiana’s and the two Grannies’ cuisines. They head to the celebration with their hearts full of hope and desire to plan their next meeting, at the same Grannys', to celebrate the triumphant return of Wish Killian, Wish Emma and the Jolly Roger crew.

## Heart-Shaped Island

At the Island, Emma sees an arrow landing in the front porch.

After touching it, to examine it, she feels a flow of magic through her body, from her hands to her mind, bringing knowledge about Magic that she did not possess before. She tests her new skills with bigger objects and it works as expected!

Empowered with an intense light magic, she proceeds to shrink the furniture of the house among other objects. She knows then that she will be able to shrink the house and take it with her, together with Missy and Luna, when the time comes. She plans to offer the house to Henry so that he will be able to, whenever he wants, be near her in Storybrooke without losing his privacy and independence.

In gratitude for the gifts she has just received, she closes her eyes and mutters towards the sky: “thank you!”

She then goes for a long walk on the beach, pensive, calm…

…

Emma has never felt so confident about herself, so in control of her own destiny, so aware of her own femininity - in its perfectly cyclic oscillations. “Similar to the Moon, similar to every woman”, she wonders, “every month being born, increasing, shining in all splendor, decreasing, being renewed…”

The Moon, bright mirror in the sky, reflects mysterious flashes of sunny light over the tranquil waters, clearing her thoughts and projecting them into the waters over which the Jolly Roger floats. The Moon light, clearing the path, will bring her Knight in shining armor to her island, even though she doesn’t see herself as a damsel in distress anymore.

The image of a Knight leads to the image of another woman, Alice, playing chess with her Papa - their Knight-Rook code superimposing to the Moon a second image: Alice’s heart pulsating as a Wind Rose in sync with Mother Nature, forever able to, somehow, help her Papa to find his right path.

With a strong sense of Femininity, North and Guidance in her heart, Emma calmly walks back to the house knowing exactly which song to play tonight:

[Suite N. 6 - Opus 1 (Emma) to Suite N. 6 - Opus 2 (Killian)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DU3u4pQ4WKOk&t=NDA2N2YwNDc5YWEyMGQ1YWEzZTE1MjhhZDAxNzJlNDMwMTE2MWJiNCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

## The Jolly Roger

_After leaving Carnation Island, Killian followed the bright red light radiated by the ruby until it switched off in the early evening, when the night started to fall and the moon started to shine. At that moment, the gramophone played Claire de Lune, soothing Killian’s soul, filling it with hope that everything would be alright, that a new guidance would be enacted and provided somewhere by someone, as Poseidon assured him. He just needed to be patient and wait._

…

To pass time, he brought from his cabin the chessboard and started to play alone under the stars, longing for his Starfish.

He misses his daughter, his Alice, the Black Rook for his White Knight. Playing alone against himself used to be one of his hobbies in Hyperion Heights, enigmatically revealing a visceral need to bring to the present, through pieces arranged on a chessboard, a past of which he could not remember but he knew existed in some corner of a dormant memory. “Lonely nights in Seattle…” he mutters as he randomly moves the pieces on the chessboard.

Living under the skin of a character created by a curse was one of Killian’s most excruciating experiences. “Poor Rogers, poor me - and poor Tilly,” he mutters, “all the time beside Tilly, feeling an inexplicable connection with her, a desire to protect her and support her, mysteriously in a father-daughter way, and at the same time in search of a lost link with a lost girl I assumed was named Eloise Gardener, a prisoner at Belfry Towers.”

Killian does not like to think about Gothel, but inevitably he does think, sometimes. Like it or not, she is Alice’s mother, it was from her that Alice inherited a special, unique, magic, not a magic such as that of Regina, Zelena, even Emma Swan. “Alice’s power is strongly attached to the elements of Nature, Mother Nature, an inheritance of Mother Gothel…” he recalls. For him, Gothel will always be an indecipherable mystery, per se, a nymph that lived, during thousands of years with her fellow sisters and mother, a peaceful and reclusive life alongside Nature. But it was her, Alice’s mother, whom would become fascinated by humans and, eventually, would be tormented by the same humans, treated by them as an abomination. Because of her, the other nymphs would be slaughtered and her mother, Mother Flora, would be killed – which explains how Gothel, the last tree nymph left in existence, inherited the title of Mother.

“All considered”, he concludes, “despite her insane mind, obscured by hatred and thirst for revenge against humanity, despite her extremely poor choices and actions - one of which put me in the same group of sexually abused people in which Zelena, in her villainous past, put Robyn’s father - Gothel was able to pass on through her genes the good side of her essence - also similarly to how Zelena passed on to Robyn - thus generating a rare treasure, a precious gem that shines like a thousand suns and moons. My Alice…” he thinks of her protectively.

“I love you and I miss you so much, my sweet little girl. Well…” he chuckles, “not so little neither a girl anymore, but forever my sweet Starfish…” he smiles, slowly closing his eyes, “we saw each other only a few days ago, but the intensity of this journey has relativized Time more than usual, I guess …” he sighs.

Looking pensively at the Moon, Killian muses, “Alice, my daughter, where are you tonight?”

…

Feeling the soft breeze on the face, he continues to ‘talk’ to his daughter, “I hope you’re happy, you and Robyn. I… I hope you are smiling your happiest smile, my daughter…” he inhales deeply while calmly waits for something he doesn’t know what it will be but hopes about what it will ‘do’…

## Oz

_Hand in hand and with steps resembling disjointed ballet choreographs, the merry couple walked the yellow path laughing and singing in a repeat mode. She always sang:_

**_"I left my heart in San Francisco_  
** _**High on a hill, it calls to me** _  
_**To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars** _  
_**The morning fog may chill the air, I don’t care..."**_

_To which he always responded:_

**_"Follow the yellow brick road, follow the yellow brick road_  
** _**Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow-brick road** _  
_**Follow the yellow brick road, follow the yellow brick road** _  
_**Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow-brick road** _  
_**Follow the yellow-brick, follow the yellow-brick** _  
_**Follow the yellow-brick road..."**_

…

_“Dorothy!” Red called, “Do you remember where we spent your birthday last year?_

_“Of course, we were at DunBroch, at the wedding of Mulan and Merida, an unforgettable week…” Dorothy replied._

_“So… we agreed with them, on that occasion, that your birthday this year would be celebrated in Oz, remember that?”_

_“I remember you saying something about it but I was distracted in another conversation when you agreed with them, I confess that I had forgotten.”_

_“Well then, know that I have not forgotten and this is my birthday gift to you, my dear.” And Red hugged and kissed her affectionately, explaining “a surprise party! It was not easy to organize and hide everything from you, but I had a little help (pun intended) from the munchkins. Well, then… Happy Birthday, my love!”_

_“Happy Birthday!!” exclaimed the guests, who were hiding in the adjoining room._

…

Red’s commitment to a memorable meeting paid off. The group of long-time friends and acquaintances gathered in a harmonious atmosphere, conducive to a good chat in a round table full of foods and drinks: Zelena & Chad - they traveled all the way from San Francisco to Maine, and friends from the United Realms, who did not have to, actually, cross a long geographic distance - Alice & Robyn, Merida & Mulan, Aurora & Philip, W. Mulan & W. Red (magically deaged and, because they did not live under 28 years of frozen time, they have been married for almost thirty years).

“You know, the more I think about it, the more confused I get.” Chad speaks to everyone, in general, and then, addressing his wife, he asks: “Zelena, you’ve seen the map of the United States, haven’t you?” To which she nods. “It is inconceivable that in the small state of Maine, M-a-i-n-e: I am talking about MAINE - there may coexist, invisible to the outside world, this diversity of enchanted realms, of climate, of customs… of eras!!! I’d better not even touch the subject ‘time’, let’s just focus on space: inconceivable!”

“Well, my dear hubby,” Zelena retorts, “even your modern Science has already figured out some of our little ‘secrets’, such as the one that states that a mass will lead to a distortion of space-time. Empty space-time is flat but space-time in the presence of masses is curved. This is a key to one of the mysteries behind our Maine paradox, or behind gravitational fields and relativity principle, if you prefer.”

W. Mulan, who listened in silence, enters into the conversation: “As far as I know about the Land without Magic, as described by our good friend Dragon, regardless their advanced technology and many “Islands of Light” where a more luminous mankind still prevails, in general people out there are going crazy in a multicultural disharmony of intolerance, prejudice and violence against Nature and their own humanity: a real civilizing turning point. Sometimes I wonder why and the reasons seem to be of a spiritual nature, no matter if in a personal or collective approach.”

To that, Mulan adds: “For me, the problem is not related to being ‘with magic’ or ‘without magic’, but to the fact that mankind outside of our enchanted realms has moved much far away from its center, thus generating an immense instability and alienation - from meaning, value, purpose and vision, alienation from the roots and reasons of their humanity.”

“That!” exclaims Zelena, in agreement. “You’ve gone exactly to the point. From my experience in San Francisco’s modern culture, the most common form of spiritual atrophy occurs because people are becoming too rational. Their soul remains separate from their body, isolating them from their own inner resources - the dreams, the creativity, and the power of their imagination – which are our resources for practicing magic.”

Pensive, Aurora speaks, “in such an imbalanced context, where reason prevails, I’m not surprised that their reality can make them more susceptible to emotional oscillations, easily provoked by the most basic feelings…”

“But these most basic feelings we feel here too, in the lands  **with**  magic, excessively, I’d say so,” Dorothy argues, “our limbic and rational brain are also a source of anger, fear, envy. Perhaps, our problem might be also a kind of imbalance but, in our case, it goes to the other side, I mean, we suffer from a lack of rationality, which also makes us hostage to reactions based on emotions in turmoil.”

“Chad!” Robyn turns to his mother’s husband, “Why not include Time into our round table? For me it is the most fascinating aspect of it. Not including Time would be exactly what Mulan said: taking the alienation path. As mysterious as it may seem, time is elastic and not just psychologically. Alice and I (and Gideon) are living proof that a full term gestation can last for just a few hours, or a few months, instead of the traditional 9 months.”

“Besides,” she continues “while returning back in time would be so costly for my mother, in her villainous past, with the passing of time, we found out that it could be a not so rare magic. Furthermore, before the reunification of realms, there were worlds where time ran in speed and rhythm completely different, from the fastest to the most stationary. Gideon, Rumple, and Belle got to know these extremes of ultra-high velocity time – Neverland is on the other extreme.”

“About that I can speak from my own experience,” Alice continues, “since in my travels exploring other worlds, after I got to free myself from the Tower, I visited worlds where I shrank and grew not only in size but receded a few years in age.”

“Aurora and I experienced the effect of two different kinds of curse that somehow froze our bodies, in time, and left our souls suspended in a timeless limbo…” Philip remembers, and then he asks: “Zelena, the curse that took you to Hyperion Heights was a journey back in time, wasn’t it?”.

“Yeah, that was one of the many times we traveled in time, and I’m not even referring to the deaging processes, I know a few of them but… that is another stuff.” Zelena confirms.

“It is common saying that all magic comes with a price,” W. Red comments, “but from what I have lived and observed, I understand that there is no ‘price’, in the sense of a bad consequence, for light magic, performed with love. There is a benefit, instead. Completely different from the price of dark magic, performed with evil intent. Even so, once paid the price, usually high and in the form of suffering, in the long term the result can also bring benefits, such as the Split-Evil Queen’s wish… Chad, how do you absorb the concept of world and people duplication?” W. Red asks, glancing sideways at Red, Mulan and W. Mulan, the four of them opening a wide smile of complicity.

“Another concept of difficult absorption because I tend to think in terms of genetic code and probability concepts,” Chad replies, “In summary, since I embarked on this journey with my wife, what has driven me is the love I feel for her. Everything else, I admit, needs to be abstracted, I simply try to accept these magic paradoxes without thinking too much (although sometimes that is nearly impossible) because my mind, trained in rationality, would distort in an irreversible tilt!” he mocks.

A pause ensues, as everyone continues to eat and drink. Merida, who listened attentively but silently to the conversation, takes the word. “No matter in which world, in what space, at what time, duality is present in all of them, and the essential battles are exactly the same, the game of opposite polarities.”

“In all of them we find a range of movements and ideologies.” Merida proceeds. “Many of them share and fight for common and noble goals: equality, harmony and peaceful coexistence - regardless of gender, sexuality, color and race. That includes seeking to establish opportunities for women that are equal to those for men - regarding everything: lifestyles, profession and ideologies that do not cause harm to anyone else. Everyone should find his or her place in the world and… I’m really grateful for the curse that created the United Realms being able to preserve the geopolitical independence of each realm. That is because I fought really hard to prove my value and to conquer the right of governing DunBroch.”

“You are soooo right!”, Alice nods excitedly and, then, longing dreamily, she speaks like reminding herself of her own nature, “In my childhood, spent entirely in the Tower, thanks to my Papa I was able to develop an imagination very rich in details - he is an excellent storyteller, many of the stories and adventures he told being literally lived by him. He used to tell me that I should never forget that I am human, I define myself not others. We should never beat ourselves senseless over what our desires are or our nature is. To do so would limit our nature and prevent us from becoming enlightened.”

Taking Alice’s hand to caress it gently, Robyn says, “Love recognizes no barriers.” Kissing Alice’s hand she completes, “without requiring a reason to exist, loving requires just ‘loving’…”

The soft atmosphere surrounding them brings to mind the memory of Killian on his journey in search of his Emma.

“Talking about love, I don’t know if you already knew,” Zelena says, “but speaking on the phone with my sister, I mean one of my triplet sisters…” and everyone laughs at the joke, “so the Good Queen number one told me that she met Killian (Nook) hours before his departure from Storybrooke. He told her that he had just received other musical message from Emma Sweet – in that way of them to communicate, heart to heart. From what I learned, Emma is living on an island in the shape of a heart, probably a tropical island. Regina told me that the three Reginas prepared three magical gifts for him to take on the trip: a heart-shaped ruby that shines when the ship is on the right track. A vase with flower buds, enchanted to blossom when important people appear on his path and a gramophone, with a twisted acoustic shell enchanted to play the right songs at the right moments…”

Alice and Robyn listen carefully to Zelena, in silence, hand in hand. Suddenly, Alice feels a pang in her heart and, in a trance, mumbles words that Robyn, desperate to help, asks for someone to take note.

They all gather to read the words whose meaning all of them try to make sense:

 **When a tornado  
** **thought becomes**  
 **and its twist**  
 **guidance provides,**  
 **a path will be open**  
 **to the heart**  
 **that can be reached**  
 **through the music**  
 **that can be heard.**

…

After a long discussion about the meaning of Alice’s cryptic channeling, they finally get to it and proceed to action.

Standing in a circle, everybody gathers, hand in hand, to create a chain of thoughts centered on the image of the Jolly Roger sailing towards the Heart-Shaped Island. Alice and Zelena, the two of them with magic power, create a light tornado whose twist elevates everybody in the air. They cannot let go of their hands, so as not to undo the chain. Like playing a circle game, everyone spins with a common mental concentration, visualizing the ship on the path that will take it to the island, propelled by their guidance.

The visualization of the group evolves smoothly into a gramophone with an acoustic shell whose shape is also a twisted spiral, which lead the collective mentalization to conjure a song sounding out of it.

As they round into the air, in Oz, the song is transmitted to Killian’s gramophone, in the Jolly Roger.

Still spiraling, the spin slows down and stops when everyone goes back to the floor, coming out of the chain and of the trance.  Alice smiles at Robyn, at first, then at Zelena and, finally at everyone, saying with teary eyes: “thank you”.

There is a collective hug and the party continues from that, with Chad extremely happy and excited by the "transcendental and mystical experience," in his own words, "simple magic, my darling," in the words of his wife. They celebrate with their hearts full of hope and desire to plan their next meeting, “in Storybrooke, at our  _Grannies’_!!”, Red and W. Red propose, to celebrate the triumphant return of (Wish) Killian, (Wish) Emma and the (Wish) Jolly Roger crew.

## The Jolly Roger

_Wrapped by a thin blanket, Killian decided to spend the warm night in the open, napping and waking up, waiting for something to happen. At 2 o’clock in the morning the gramophone placed itself in the center of the deck, as if doing him company while waiting for the first rays of sun to play a song._

Finally, at dawn, as soon as the crew joins Killian on the deck, the gramophone starts to play a sweeping melody that imitates the flow of ocean currents and brings the force of Nature with the radiance of the Sun in its shiniest smile in the sky - Alice’s smile…

Attracted by the song, joyful birds and dolphins gather around the ship, flying, jumping and pointing into the direction ahead of them, thus showing the path to the Jolly Roger, already propelled by the wind and starting to cross the last miles to Heart Island:

[Suite N. 6 - Opus 2 (Killian) to Suite N. 7 - Opus 1 (Emma)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DbTYUyDjVCRU&t=NjVjMjEzNGNkODQzOGEwMzRiNTU0OTM4MzRlMGEyOTRhNjljZWQ0NixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

## Heart-Shaped Island

The morning hours are passing amid a sense of anticipation of Killian’s arrival. As soon as the day dawned, Emma stood up for a brief breakfast before starting to pack all the furniture in the living room, kitchen, laundry, bathroom and bedrooms, as well as the clothing, bedding & tablecloths - all rooms except the mezzanine are now empty and five chests, in the middle of the dining room, are filled with miniatures of what used to fill the house.

She still needs to shrink the musical instruments, the magic mirror, the porch swing, bookshelves, books, music scores, magazines and the desk furniture. For them, the sixth chest waits, still empty, not to mention the seventh and biggest chest that will carry all the lumber, ironmongery, glassware, ceramics and porcelain from which the house is built, including the bamboos of the hydraulic installation (“at least for Henry to build up a sculpture with the bamboos”, she jokes).

Missy and Luna run into the empty rooms, happily playing with the echo of their barking and meowing. Shaking her tail, Missy curls up beside Emma, who ends up sitting on the porch swing, the only seat in the house, besides the piano bench and the desk chair, which has not been shrunk yet. Luna, as always, favoring to lie down on Emma’s lap, closes her eyes purring in anticipation to the smooth scratch she will receive. “The tip of the (island’s) heart points to the North…” Emma daydreams looking at the horizon, waiting, waiting…

…

“Maybe I got too far forward to shrink almost everything…” Emma reasons, one hour later, “but I assumed from the dream at dawn that Killian and I are at the same time zone… I have been under the impression that the connections are happening in sync and with no significantly different time zones… which makes me believe that the island may be located closer to the equator line but still in the northern hemisphere… Anyway, from the early morning dream the impression I got was that there were only a few miles to cross and they were getting closer, almost arriving… which can happen at any moment now, I mean…”

Emma cannot even finish the sentence as she rises abruptly, causing Luna to jump to the ground, when she sees a point far away on the horizon, a point that was not present a few seconds ago. She tries to steady the view, but the point is still too far away.

She remembers that in the drawer of the desk there is a bezel then she runs in a hurry to get it.

With her heart racing, almost to the point of leaping from her chest, Emma sees the ship approaching the island. From the beach tip, barefoot, crying and laughing at the same time, she watches almost without believing that Captain Killian ‘Rogers’ Jones is, in fact, in the flesh, approaching the island.

However, the intensity of the joy she feels is not greater than the intensity of disappointment in watching, in front of her eyes, the ship being blocked by a kind of invisible shield, a force field that repels the Jolly Roger and prevents her from getting closer.

From the beach, running along the sand, she follows the ship along the entire outline of the island in a closed path, always trying to get in but always being blocked by the magic shield.

**…**

Emma can see the ship and knows that they can see the Island - and her. They are so close now… The invisible shield, similar to the one that prevented Alice from leaving her old tower, prevents the Jolly Roger to get closer and thus it does not allow her occupants to put their feet on the ground (they have tried to come in using a boat). She has tried using magic but nothing worked. She has tried to feel a magic music to play but that hasn’t worked either, she feels nothing but frustration and anxiety.

She may feel powerless but not hopeless. She hopes that the way for overcoming this last barrier will be sorted out - soon, she wishes - if not by her own resources, or by Killian’s, it will be by some other external force. She is faithful but the wait is excruciating.

## The Swan-Jones home, Storybrooke

“Swan!” Killian exclaims as Emma returns to the living room, where he and Hope are sitting on the floor, playing with paints, brushes, papers and hands. “With whom you talked on the phone for almost…” he takes the smartphone from his pocket to look at the time and raises one eyebrow, “2 hours?”

“That was Mom,” she replies, sitting down on the couch in front of them.

“Killian, you will not believe what she told me!” Emma says.

“Translation of what Mommy is saying,” he smiles winking at Hope: “Daddy will believe what Grandma said…”

Emma smiles, but pretends to ignore the teasing while Hope giggles. “Yesterday, at lunchtime, while the three of us were in Arendelle visiting Anna, Kristoff and Elsa, who presented her goddaughter with this new paint material,” Emma caresses Hope’s hair while looking at her art (“it’s beautiful, Sweetheart”) before continuing, “here in Storybrooke there was a great deal of excitement. W. Henry’s Author’s Pen wrote an encrypted message and everyone at Grannys' helped to decipher it: Henry - the two of them, Cindy, Lucy, Violet Morgan, Mom, Dad, Neal, Blue, Gideon, Granny, W. Granny, Tiana, and Naveen. All of them.”

“The message instructed for an enchanted arrow to be thrown from here, Storybrooke, pointing to South, to the heart-shaped island where W. Emma is. The arrow should take to Emma: knowledge about magic and self-confidence. The archer would have to be Mom, and she tossed the arrow from the library clock.”

“Too much information, Swan”, Killian replies chuckling lightly, “try to expand your brief summary, luv!” he teases, as he stands up and sits beside Emma on the couch.

“Then do not complain that it may take two hours!” she laughs and begins to tell in detail what happened the day before.

…

Snuggled on the couch, Emma and Killian caress each other absentmindedly while watching Hope sit on the floor still playing with paints, drawing abstracts patterns on the paper whilst dirtying her little hands with paint in the process, thus creating a much more ‘concrete’ body art.

Breaking the silence, Emma says: “I once heard a saying stating more or less the following: ‘Each one of us knows the pain and the delight of being who we are…’ So no one can really evaluate the sorrow and the joy that others feel.” Emma pauses to sigh before continuing.

“I’m not – and actually no one is - in a position to judge neither to know but… the fact that I was born a Savior seems to make a relevant difference between the two of us, the two Emmas, and between our journeys. For Wish Emma, apparently no responsibility was assigned to ensure anyone’s happy ending, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there is no ‘assignment’ in her path, we just don’t know what that would be, but I can guess… I mean, psychologically speaking, I know it is not easy to handle a solitary life but I haven’t experienced the solitude of an island in a literal sense. So, I guess her loneliness was necessary to act, somehow, as a trigger for her self discovery journey, which ended up releasing her magic and her mysterious ‘assignment’…”

Emma talks in low voice to Killian. “I just hope they won’t need to struggle with lots of angst neither to fight for being together as much as we did. I mean, while ‘Captain Swan’ is a romantic love story with a happy  _living_ ,” and she smiles dreamily, “our path was marked by dramatic events and, sometimes, tragic conflicts and clashes. I hope that ‘Captain Sweet’ love story does justice to its name, even if for some it could be considered honeyed in excess. In comparison to our own journey, always marked by the need to defeat an antagonist or a villain, I hope that theirs may be better described as a walk in the park - or a sailing in calm waters, being more literal…”

“I agree, luv, but, as you say, we do not have parameters to know for sure. Even if their journey is not facing rough seas, calm waters can hide deeper mysteries, challenges, and also inner conflicts of intensities that can match the perils of tempestuous waters or those epic battles that we had to fight for being together. The battles they are fighting we cannot know, but the four of us are closely connected. Then, if our story serves as a reference, I believe that they might be facing a couple of dramatic bids - in a less intense, external enemies-free, drama, I hope.”

“Villains and foils apart,” he proceeds, “perhaps the two narratives are more similar when it comes to the inner obstacles. For instance, look at your past, Swan, to protect your heart from suffering the pain of being betrayed you built a wall around it - and it gave me a great honor and pleasure to be the one that broke it. In a parallel to what I did, perhaps Key will have to break some sort of barrier to reach Em’s heart, maybe built by her to protect her heart from suffering the pain of losing her loved one. I mean, perhaps the ultimate enemies that they have to battle and win are their fears and insecurities - as it happened to us…”

“Either way,” Emma turns to look into his eyes, “even not knowing, yet, how their journey is unfolding, I hope it will be as beautiful and epic as ours, also blessed by the gods and by the ‘pushes’ we - as part of their group of family and friends - may give them, if necessary, from afar.”

“Now, when we really think about it”, Emma goes on, “the two sagas seem to be in accordance with the individual styles of each couple. Look at you, Killian. To this day you still oscillate between using the old hook as an attachment and the modern, more versatile prosthesis that Key gave you. Not to mention your jewels and eyeliner,” and before continuing, Emma starts to draw, slowly and sensually, small circles on Killian’s chest hair, “they are much more in line with your essence: each Killian’s style reflects the personality he developed; and the same probably applies to each Emma. All considered, I would not trade my Killian’s  _rebel_  persona for nothing in the world. It matches mine, I mean, could you imagine me any other way? More sugary, less badassery? Our lives shaped us to be what we are. And I feel fully content as we are.”

“But you’re deliciously sweet, Swan…” Killian responds quietly, raising an eyebrow seductively while kissing and sniffing his wife’s ear and hugging her tighter. “Hmmm, never ever doubt your delicious scent of honey, luv…”

“Schhh … Hope in the room,” Emma whispers trying to pull herself together and back away from the hug and kisses already becoming overly sexy.

Apparently distracted by the painting, Hope is an exceptionally perceptive and active child. With cognition quite advanced for her age - incomplete 2 years, her penetrating oceanic gaze reveals an unbelievable intelligence. For a child of her age, spending nearly 3 hours in the same activity could be unimaginable, but for Hope, to play like that is a means to an end: to fly her spirit freely.

“Uncle Key and Aunt Emm need us…” Hope turns to her parents and speaks to them in a very serious tone. “They need magic music”.

Killian and Emma exchange a look.

“How do you know that, little luv?” Killian grabs the girl on the floor and puts her on his lap.

Hope shrugs and continues “we need help them, with magic music.”

“But we don’t play any instrument, honey…” Emma reasons. “Would we have to sing? And… what song that would be?”

“Sing, no,” Hope responds, “play. And magic. Mommy and Hope do the magic and Daddy ‘do’ the play.”

“I ‘do’ the play, my little pirate?  Hmmm… Perhaps from some album,” Killian stands up, sitting Hope on Emma’s lap. He walks to the bookshelf, where he stores his collection, and brings as much CD's as he can, spreading them on the floor in front of the couch. “There”, he says, “all we have to do is to pick one; you know which one, Hope?”

Hope comes down from her mother’s lap, kneels on the floor and takes a look at all of them. She thinks for a while and then, resolute, separates one particular album and points her little index finger at the title of a song.

“This one!” she smiles proudly at her parents.

Killian picks the album and smiles when he reads the song title: “The Swan.”

…

With everything ready, they sit back on the couch - Hope on Killian’s lap, holding Emma’s hand - after which the three concentrate on a visualization of ‘Aunt’ Emm and ‘Uncle’ Key finding each other. When Killian ‘does’ the  play, enraptured by the song Emma and Hope start to emanate a soft light that, pulsating from their hearts, propagates through space carried by the song until lifting, in the far away Heart Island, the last barrier that prevented the waters of the river from finding the waters of the sea…

## Heart-Shaped Island

While Emma is outside in the beach, looking at the ship, inside the house the piano and the cello start to play alone. The music sounds loudly in the air, as if amplified by invisible speakers, so loud that can be heard from the Jolly Roger.

Listening to the song, the intense events of the last week display in her mind culminating in this unique moment when heart and soul fuse and the only thing that rests for her to do is cry, in silence, in gratitude, full of hope and love.

Luna and Missy get close to her and the three of them watch, from the beach, Killian approaching in a boat.

[Suite N. 7 - Opus 1 (Emma) to Suite N. 7 - Opus 2 (Killian)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D3qrKjywjo7Q&t=NGVhMmQ1ZjNjMjRkNTA1ZjVlYTVkYjg4NmE2ZGFkN2M0OTY4NjExMyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

_When the first chords of the song began to sound from the house, everyone’s attention on the ship turned to Emma standing at the edge of the beach. Even though not understanding the technicalities behind the loud volume, standing from the quarterdeck top Killian felt the magic music spreading through the air and penetrating his soul, cleansing the frustration of being so close and yet so far from Emma – that bloody terrible feeling of impotence, similar to how he used to feel with Alice’s imprisonment and, later, with his cursed heart. Instead of frustration, the music brought renewed hope to his heart and a new impetus for a prompt and immediate action. Coming down to the deck in a rush, he yelled:_

_“That’s it, that’s it!….I believe that the invisible shield has lifted!!! Men, prepare the boat, I’ll go down alone this time, and I’ll paddle myself!!!”_

…

He dives into the sight of an angel in the form of a long haired blond woman, slim, beautiful, ethereal in her knee-length thin tunic, slowly approaching him at each row: the most beautiful vision his eyes have ever seen.

“She’s real, my Emma, so beautiful…” Killian whispers as he smiles and cries and rows… and rows…and rows…

Always paddling, but still not reaching the sand, Killian watches Emma running towards him by the water, jumping waves, arms outstretched, smiling, shouting “Killian!!”

“Emma!!” He responds also jumping in the water. He swims to the beach and, between waves, they meet.

Wet, washed, gasping, kneeling and rising from the sand, laughing and crying, soaked with water and happiness they finally meet each other’s eyes face to face. Time stops for the meeting of waters: the emerald green of the rivers plunging into the blue of the sea.

_…_

_It all happened in slow motion, her hands stroking his hair, his hand lifting her cheek, mouths opening in a smile, eyes merging into each other, getting close, noses and foreheads touching, lips touching lightly, eyes closing, kiss deepening, tongues entwining, arms hugging, hands caressing, low moans echoing at the intersection of two axes beyond time-space domains: two beings finding themselves in the dimension of the purest love. All loneliness and hopelessness they experienced in multiple realities, in a nonlinear — sometimes frozen, sometimes accelerated — chronology suddenly became everything and nothing, crumbling and remaking into an impulse of infinite amplitude and eternal duration. There are no words that describe what only Killian and Emma felt during that deeply slow kiss and wet hug, for it would limit the meaning of the unspeakable._

_…_

_Time stopped for two soulmates to fuse into one and to experience their lives in a transcendental space._

…

_Hand in hand, they walked into the house, where Emma suggested that she could magically unravel some “dry clothes, towels, maybe the bed” … but between kisses and hugs as they took off their wet clothes the magic gave way to more kisses and caresses that ran through their wet, hungry for each other, bodies._

_…_

_For their first love making, no bed was needed, only their love, their naked bodies and their naked souls._

…

After a shower and introducing Luna and Missy to Killian, Emma wants to show him the island, “from inland” she explains, since he already knew it when seen from the sea, having crossed its outline two times: clockwise and counterclockwise. They walk naked, crossing the main axis of the island “which divides the heart into two symmetrical parts,” she extends her arms to show the design of the island.

During the tour they are able to talk long enough to figure out how complementary – like half-parts of a choreography – were the adventures that they have lived throughout the most unforgettable and magical week of their lives. “Our Sweet Suite…” Killian whispers into Emma’s ear as they approach the sea from the other side of the island.

…

_They made love for the second time in the same beach where Emma called the Gods. In the distance, Luna and Missy, running across the clear sands, watched the lovers' sensual rite receiving the blessings coming from heaven, conveying to the two loyal companions the message that their mission was nearing completion. From then on, the crystalline essence of the two guardians during Emma's stay on the island was free to fully shine in its animal innocence._

…

_“Who needs bedding all over this warm and soft sand?” Killian asked, smiling, lying down and rolling beside Emma._

_Emma giggled, daydreaming. “I know it’s real, that you’re here by my side, but… I haven’t gotten used to the idea that I’m really talking again to someone - not somebody else, but with you, Captain Killian ‘Rogers’ Jones… You and I, together…” she whispered, her voice quivering._

_Leaning his head on his arm, Killian looked at her, inebriated by her beauty, pulling a lock of hair over her face._

_“I love you, Emma…”_

_“I love you too, Killian” she replied with smiling eyes, gently kissing him while turning to lean over him._

…

“You hungry?” She asks. “Because I’m starving…”

“Much hungry, my love,” he responds, standing up and reaching out to help her up.

“I don’t know what I was thinking when I decided to shrink everything in the house. I was thrilled with the magic release, I guess… I thought that if I could shrink everything, it would not be too heavy and could be carried by the Jolly Roger. Now I no longer have an operating kitchen where I can prepare a meal for us.”

“Forget it,” he assures her. “First, yes, if you can reduce the size of the house and everything in it, I see no problem in transporting it with us, and secondly, if we go to the ship now we will arrive right in time for the dinner prepared by Smith, an excellent cook.”

“Right…Perhaps, before we go, carrying Luna and Missy with us, it would be good to take a shower and put on dry clothes, I can do that, I mean, wash and dry our clothes with magic!” Emma suggests, proud of her skill.

“Sure, another shower will be great…and love, I know I will repeat this countless times, but I will never get tired of saying that you are  _amazing_ …”

…

_Emma was greeted with joy by the crew. She hugged everyone, thanking them for having joined Killian in his journey. “Without your help the task for Killian alone would be practically impossible. I will be eternally grateful to everyone.”_

_…_

_“Emma,” Killian approached her after dinner, "Luna and Missy are already accommodated in the cabin of Bill and Smith. Tonight we will remain anchored and tomorrow morning we can bring your personal luggage plus all the chests to the ship as soon as you finish to shrink what still needs to be shrunk.”_

_“Sounds like a good plan, Killian. So… tonight we sleep in the Jolly Roger?” She asked reluctantly._

_“Where there is a bed…” he replied smiling with a wink. “Let’s go?”_

_…_

_They made love for the third time in Killian’s quarters, weaving and expanding their sexual energy potentiated by the scent of flower petals stored in a small bowl, placed on a shelf. The enchanted fragrance increased even more their intimacy and created a deeper mind-body connection and powerful orgasms._

…

“I still feel in a dream from which I never want to wake up,” Emma says as she gently caresses Killian’s left arm, now without the prosthesis. Lying on the narrow bed of his cabin, their bodies are curled up as best as they can: legs intertwined, Emma’s face resting on Killian’s chest, Killian embracing her close to him.

“It is real, love, it is happening. You awakened me, then you called me and I answered…” he replies, dreamily.

“Then I dreamed of you,” she continues, “and told you about the heart shaped island, about my insecurities…”

“Concern fully dispensable”, he intervenes. “I don’t know if you heard me when I confessed but I have not been as sexually active as it may seem… “

"I did, I mean, I felt,” she interrupts him, “what you told me about orgasm on the plateau instead of the mountain peaks?” she asks smiling and he nods.

“But … from the sample I’ve had,” she continues tentatively, “we will be good either way, for the sharp vertical climbs or the long horizontal walks in the plateaus,” she giggles.

…

_The last objects to be shrunk were the magic mirror and the piano. Emma carried them carefully, accommodating them in the sixth chest. At last, she took care of the house, the flower and herbs gardens and the bamboo system. After packing them all on the seventh chest the crew carried the chests to the ship._

_In their last moments on the island, Emma and Killian went to its center, from where water springs, and drank it for the last time._

_“Thank you”, she said crying to the island’s spirits, “thank you all”._

_Embraced, they walked to the beach and boarded the boat that took them to the Jolly Roger._

…

They are all aboard but haven’t left the island waters yet. There is no wind. One day and one night have passed without a single cloud in the sky, no wind at all with no indication, on Killian’s instruments, of any wind approaching - a complete, perhaps enchanted, lull. The whole setup brings up a new uncertainty to Killian and Emma who have tried, in vain, to ‘feel’ a magic song for singing along. Although happy with their new romantic development, they try not to pass on to the crew their unavoidable apprehension.

In the morning of the second day, Killian’s mates, to cheer him and Emma up, devise a strategy to keep their spirits high and, hopefully, to promote a little ‘magic’ on their own. This way, besides just waiting for the winds, Smith, with Bill’s help, prepares a special breakfast table on the deck, bringing fresh bread, cheese, honey, pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon, cereal, orange juice, tea and coffee, and to Luna and Missy, milk, water and meat.

Mr. Smee and W. Smee, greeting all with a happy “good morning everyone!” go straight to where the captain and Emma are standing and ask him to bring the ruby to the deck because “during the night the two of us have felt a lot of itch in a callus, and that has always been an infallible signal of winds to come”. Before Killian go fetch the ruby, Bill asks him to also bring the sound control, so that they “could listen to music after eating”.

As soon as Killian comes back with the ruby and the control, Kevin, Bill, Mr. Smee and W. Smee exchange glances and discreetly form a small circle in the middle of the deck. They concentrate and Smith, in a trance, throws two dices on the floor. The sum of them, 7, corresponds to the song they will pick out of Killian’s playlist.

…

All gathered around the breakfast table, they eat and chat excitedly about the winds forecasting by both Smees. On the voyage to Heart Island, the four sailors and their captain dealt with high degrees of hope and uncertainty and all adventurous challenges they faced united the five men in a friendly and loyal camaraderie. Now, with their main goal accomplished and the eminence of the journey back home, the presence of Emma, Missy and Luna aboard brought the memory of another life that is waiting for them in Maine. However, as much as they love Storybrooke, the Ocean is also their home - deep down they feel that they will set sail together again, perhaps side by side with the other Jolly Roger, each ship under the command of her Captain Killian Jones.

They daydream and make plans for future adventures together with special passengers aboard - their families - but, either way, feeling all ready to return, they know it’s time to concentrate and focus on the honor and privilege of being an integral part of the Sweet Suit. Inhaling and exhaling, Bill then proceeds to search for the seventh song in Killian’s playlist and, finally, to press ‘play’. The moment the selected music starts to sound from the speakers, a group of clouds, apparently coming from nowhere, gets closer and a wind starts to blow.

In response, the four sailors cheer up with lots of high-five and run to their posts. With the crew’s magic  _push_ , the sail lifts, moving toward the lower-pressure side causing the ship to move.  

The Jolly Roger sails are like a wing, the air travels over them and the total lift acts to pull the ship forward. The heart shaped ruby shines pointing to their next destination: Storybrooke, while the heart shaped island becomes a small spot in the horizon until disappearing.

Looking forward from the bowsprit, Killian and Emma – he, carrying an alert Missy and she, with Luna tucked into her lap - watch the Ocean waltzing for them, taking them home…

[Suite N. 7 - Opus 2 (Killian) to Suite N. 8 (Killian and Emma)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOb61NIoRmKs&t=MmQ0NjJlMWM4ZTM1NjM5MjhlMDJhZWIzNWVjNzQxMWE0ZjJiYTZmZSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

“Killian, who is steering the ship?” a pensive Emma asks, at the fourth night on their way home, as soon as Killian enters the captain’s quarters.

“Right now it is Bill…” he starts to answer.

“No, not that,” she cuts him. “I mean, in a metaphoric way, looking at where we have been and at the direction we wish to go: are  **we**  steering the ship? Is our ego in charge of our path, of our curse in life?”

“Hmm, we are quite philosophical tonight, eh?” He leans down to kiss her lustily on the lips and proceeds to pour two glasses of rum before sitting down on a chair.

After a little sip, he inhales deeply and says, “You know, Sweet, for the two of us - literally and symbolically, the ship may be seen as the vehicle that has enabled our journey.” Thinking for a bit, he adds, “it may also be seen as a vehicle of faith and trust. We have been indeed supported on this courageous journey across the seas.”

“Yeah…” Emma nods and continues. “We’ve been protected; we’ve been supported, though the choices we’ve made were driven by free will. In that case, the navigational system would have to be our intuition – but that would be only possible with our higher self on the helm, steering our individual ships, knowing the best course, the direction of our life’s purpose, our highest good. Apparently, our ego’s task on our triumphant journey was to impose some obstacles here and there…”

“Aye, these poor egos of ours”, he chuckles. “But let’s give them the recognition and gratitude ‘they’ deserve! They didn’t impose ‘themselves’ too much upon ‘ourselves’.” He smiles pensively, “in their defense, from their place of right - and we do need ‘them’ to live in this world, they did allow us to live our journey on its fullness - this is my ego talking to yours, by the way…” he winks jokingly and she giggles.

Then he goes on more seriously. “It all happened when we awakened and listened to our hearts, connected them through the magic power of Music and set our ships to their divine course and, then, we were rewarded by the Gods’ bless.” Killian continues, “that’s when you and I renewed our mutual and self-confidence, unblocked them, hearing clearly to the guidance that we received for re-claiming our power – and our love.”

“And then, as you told me”, Emma concludes, sipping her rum, “with our awareness came to light the knowledge of our responsibilities, our role in a wind swirl of life and fate…”

“You see, Killian, this whole setup is almost ironic, maybe an inside joke in the Olympus,” she goes on after a pause, “because there was a time that I thought that not being born a Savior would release me from the responsibility of enabling everyone’s happy endings, as it happened to Emma Swan…”

Another pause, another deep breath and Emma completes:

“Now I know that the price of self-discovery, and of our mutual-discovery, is not an unbearable weight but is not a light weight either - the weight is the fair amount that our shoulders withstand. Now I know that each step we have walked in our paths have ordered and aligned the paths of many lives until this very moment when, having found each other, we have finally earned the right to celebrate our love…” She concludes with a long sigh.

With a calm look and tilting his head with a smile, Killian puts aside his glass and, slowly, stands up, helping Emma to her feet in the process. Standing one in front of the other, holding her hands and looking into her eyes, he says:

“Emma, even though I do not know what the future holds, I promise to be always by your side, as your partner, whatever comes, whenever comes. The shape of a heart has outlined our paths and guided us to each other. My heart, broken and cursed, sometimes; your heart, lost and isolated, sometimes; and other hearts: of deceased people, of living people, of Gods, of Magic, of Nature, of Life… all hearts brought us to this moment to celebrate Love, our love. One lifetime is not enough to show you how much I love you, but I promise to always be trying. I love you, Emma Sweet, for all eternity.”

Emma closes her eyes overflowing with tears, and as she reopens them, facing the endless ocean shining in Killian’s eyes, she smiles and replies:

“Killian, thank to you, I found not only the sense of True Love, but also the North and the real purpose of my life, my place in the world. I have often wondered about my destiny: ‘Why the isolation and solitude of an island? Why a heart-shaped island?’ Some bits and pieces I got by watching life, past and present, being lived by others. But the real meaning, the binding that united all parts, the breathing that put me on the stage of my own life, thank to you and to your love I finally understood and absorbed. I am your forever partner, Killian Jones, and I will love you for all eternity.”

“Can I kiss the bride already, Captain Jones?” Killian asks, smiling and crying, to the portrait of his late brother Liam Jones, laying on one of the cabin shelves. He looks again at Emma, the two smiling and crying, and leans for a tender, teared kiss.

…

Two days later, W. Smee knocks on the Captain’s quarters door, “Captain, land in sight!”

…

When the ship docks in the harbor, the sleeping town in silence receives the travelers after their triumphant voyage.

The crew say goodbye on the docks, hugging each other with emotion. Mr. Smee and W. Smee head to the apartment they share nearby. Bill, whose car was parked on the docks, offers a ride to Smith since they are neighbors.

Killian and Emma, with Missy and Luna, prefer to walk to the loft, taking advantage of the tranquility of the night and the quiet of the streets.

Hand in hand, their footsteps echo through the empty streets of Storybrooke.

“Two and a half weeks ago,” Killian recalls, “I was on this same street getting ready to go to Agrabah, from where I would begin to actually plan the trip to Heart Island. At that point I had no idea what lay ahead. In that ocean of uncertainty in which I found myself, there was only one certainty coming from my heart: my Emma, my very lively and pulsating Emma, had contacted me and I would tend to her call. Feeling the deep impulse of the first song you sang to me roused me from a secular sleep, Emma. In fact, on second thought, since I moved to Storybrooke, the constancy with which my thoughts turned to you, to the mere possibility of your existence, was remarkable, always causing my chest to tighten every time I imagined that you could be lost, or frozen, or enchanted... I felt like a needed to think of you, to feel your presence near me - even if in a fantasy or a dream, in order to  protect and keep you alive, safe and sound. Searching for you gradually became a vital need, a compulsive desire to unravel a mystery called Princess Emma Nolan. It came to a point that it was noticeable by everyone, I guess, as if the sight of me ignited the sight of your aura around me, still in a dormant state, just waiting for the right moment to wake up. In a way, you became the topic of many conversations, discussions and thoughts about the possibility of your existence, where you would be, how to reach you.”

"On a more personal level," Killian goes on, "though embarrassing to admit it, there was a sense of frustration and anguish mingled with an almost incomprehensible jealousy of my twin, living happily alongside his Emma. Not to mention, I must confess, the almost irresistible magnetism coming from Emma Swan, nearly enthralling me without building up any kind of conflict or tension - although, obviously, I would never have given it the slightest chance to speak up. I guess you will understand what I mean when meeting the other Killian..."

"I think I get what you mean, Killian, and I probably will feel that too, but I guess it will go the other way around as well." Emma intervenes and continues, "despite of that, I don't see any emotional conflict on this connection, I mean, between the two Killians and the two Emmas. I sense that it will always be strong and able to hold us together in a healthy relationship in function of the very essence of the true love concept - based on integrity. Not to mention the fact that each Killian & Emma pairing is perfect on its own imperfection, on its unique and non-reproducible style. I have faith in the ability of the four of us to live this challenging opportunity to its fullest, an adventure of its own..."

"Aye, indeed, we will make one hell of a team, the two CS pairings..." Killian acquiesces as Emma raises her eyebrow curiously.

"CS: Captain Swan and Captain Sweet!" he explains and she rolls her eyes with a chuckle.

"Anyway," Killian resumes, "by that time, Emma Swan represented to me the idea of a kind of happiness I could not find. On the one hand, I was happy for them, feeling the love that emanates from them, but somehow it spoke to my heart and used to secretly hurt it. I would not say it did hurt out of jealousy or envy, no, but I cannot deny the pang of sadness because it seemed like I could not experience that level of romantic love and happiness myself.  Deep down, I felt the urge to share my life alongside my soul mate, my true love, my Emma.” He sighs and whispers, looking sideways at his love, “now... with you by my side, I feel whole, I feel complete."

"Oh, Killian, my sweet, fearless and gorgeous Pirate," Emma kisses his hand reassuringly, "all this time I've also experienced my dose of anguish and frustration because I couldn’t be there with you, with Henry, with everyone. I just couldn't be ‘present’ and proactive in any way. All this time, I've passively watched life being lived by others, by you, in particular, like watching a Netflix series", she smiles mischievously as Killian looks at her in amazement after her last comment, and then she completes with a giggle, "yes, I do know what Netflix is!!" and continues, "for me, the strongest frustration was feeling that you wanted me apparently as much as I wanted you. And you have no idea how much I wanted you, it was really hard," she sighs.

He chuckles, muttering under his breath "I believe in you, love, but I bet you have no real idea of how literally  _hard_  it was for me to think and dream of you..."

In between giggles, Emma proceeds. "Well, don't get me wrong, since I also have my good form code and really respected your privacy, but I can imagine your  _hardness,_ then, based on my own  _wetness_ ", she teases playfully, "when I knew you were thinking of me at the same time that I was also thinking of you without being able to reach you, to touch you. It was so frustrating feeling such a deep attraction and potential connection but having to settle for fantasies of all kinds, from the most romantic and sexual to the most platonic ones, projections of a reality that was denied me - was denied us, away from any ‘possible’ or ‘achievable’ until the moment I felt an urge so strong that it awakened my heart and our musical connection. From that moment on, it flowed like water finding its natural course to the sea and led me to figure out how the journey we both embarked upon would have to be. And now, here we are, with the eternal present ahead of us, walking hand in hand to our home, sweet home…”

…

They keep walking and, a couple of streets later, Emma turns to Killian to whisper: “Life is so cliché…”

“What do you mean, love?”

“I mean that one of the constants in meetings of friends and families that I have witnessed so many times through the magic mirror - some of them in this same town - concerns time, present time. The ‘present moment’ is on everyone’s lips but, do we really know what we mean by it?”

“The here and the now…” Killian acquiesces thoughtfully, “mindfulness”.

“Yeah…” she agrees, “the idea of living in the present moment because we are always here and now. Here and now there is peace. There is peace in the world that we know. Here and now there is love. Here and now there is light. Even though the Wheel of Fortune, in successive and eternal cycles continues to spin. Even knowing that here and now there is evil, there are villains and beings living in the darkness of their souls plotting to impose the disorder over the order, here and now there is order.”

“This is the meaning of our story, Killian, to align into the here and now lives that pulsate with light, with peace and with love. No matter the struggles we still have to fight - and life is made of them, if we focus on our love, our inner peace and our light, everything will remain on its proper place.”

“Have I told you how much I love you, Emma?” Killian caresses Emma’s hand as they approach the loft and Luna and Missy cross paths between their legs playfully.

Emma nods smiling timidly. “I love you too, Killian…” she whispers.

**…**

“We did it, Killian! We did it, my love, we are home!”, Emma walks into the house, with Luna and Missy, smiling as she looks at Killian, who smiles back, entering and closing the front door, bringing with him her small briefcase.

A gloom permeates the loft while Missy and Luna, already exploring its interior, immerse themselves into their animal essence, leaving in oblivion their magic function.

Emma’s heart is pounding strongly, just thinking of the people they are going to meet. “Henry, we need to find my Henry and let him know that we’ve arrived and, also, call Killian and Emma, I’m dying to meet them, and Hope, ‘the cute!’,” she smiles dreamily thinking of the little girl she met in her dream, “and, of course, first thing in the morning, find Alice and Robyn, not to mention the Charmings,” she sighs, remembering the resemblance of Snow and David with her parents… “Ah! And Henry Mills, of course, we can’t forget him and his wife and daughter… What about Regina? Should we contact her tomorrow, early in the morning? The three of them? What about the others… Zelena and Chad, maybe?” she wonders, “because of Robyn… and also Aladdin and Jasmine - I want to thank him personally… Who else? Oh Killian, bear with me, pleeease, my heart is overwhelmed by so much emotion… I need you as a safe harbor!”

Looking into Emma’s eyes, Killian leaves the briefcase on the floor and embraces her with tenderness while speaking soothing words. His breathing, calm and rhythmic, envelops her, and the two, in sync, slowly sway their bodies back and forth, relaxing themselves into each other, connecting with each other. At the kitchen counter, the gramophone magically appears for its last act, the final piece of the magical suite he and she have played, danced and sang alternately.

“Tomorrow we announce to the world that we’re back, Emma, or better saying, the news will spread autonomously with a little help from the fourteen dwarfs, as soon as they see the two Jolly Rogers on their way to Grannys',” Killian smiles and whispers slowly into Emma’s ear, both with closed eyes and already embarking on their magic wave. “Tomorrow we go with open arms to meet those who will welcome us with open arms. Tomorrow, we meet our family and our friends.”

“What now?” she asks in a barely audible voice.

“Tonight, love, we dance.”

At that, with Missy and Luna playing around, the old gramophone does its last scented musical-floral magic…

[Suite N. 8 - Killian and Emma: Melody of Love (they dance and...](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DLjBcBe9gcrA&t=M2EyODk3NDQxZTgyN2NkODI4YWMxZjIwMTBiNDFkYzg5ZjMwMTljNixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)

...they sing along with: [Him](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy2zzf61ImY) & [Her](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW8WHzThDtQ))

 

**"What is past is prologue"** (Shakespeare)

As they traveled back home, Emma and Killian spent many hours in Killian’s cabin since their presence on the deck was dispensable: the route up to Storybrooke was well defined by the heart-shaped ruby and the crew was absolutely able to safely sail the Jolly Roger without her captain.

In between making love, sweet caresses, whispers, kisses, laughs, hugs, and cuddling, they made plans and talked at length about many subjects, from the timelines they had outlined to an Internet search on how to prepare floral essential oils and perfume (with an adaptation proposed by Killian to combine sweet almond oil with rum, instead of pure alcohol). About the timeline, after comparing their sketches they formulated a common scheme, shown below.

Incorporating their knowledge and using the technological modernity that he became used to, Killian edited the timeline on his laptop, keeping in mind the goal of visualizing the time flow as a river dance and having a lot of fun with Emma when designing their emoji. The structure is centered on just four people’s story (i.e. two Killians and two Emmas), complemented by those, directly connected to them, that they considered as relevant references for the timeline understanding. By adjusting this basic scheme, similar timelines may be structured with focus on anybody else.

[Riverdance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTIejyTulCY)

[Singing on the banks of the river…](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DvZOXqB7sTfA&t=MTA4Y2FjOTQwYjc2ZmIxOTFjODdkZjhjMjQ0OThkYjFiNmZjM2UxNCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1) 

...at any particular time.

## Foreword

  1. Song: Heart with no companion (by Leonard Cohen); Artist: Leonard Cohen; Album: Various Positions; Youtube channel: Evenstar100; Published on Feb 10, 2009.
  2. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.videoblocks.com%2Fvideo%2Fa-calm-surreal-beach-scene-with-sparkling-blue-waters-white-sand-and-a-night-sky-filled-with-stars-and-a-red-comet-97v44qzA&t=NTg2NDVhZmQ1YjdhZWEwYWQwNjlmMGI5YzNlNmRmMmNmMmZmYmE1NyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.moddb.com%2Fgames%2Fwar-at-sea%2Fimages%2Flarge-pirate-ship&t=NTQyOGM5MWNjZTUxMTZlMGJkMmJmOTYyY2Y4YzRkZTI0MzI4ZGNiOCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Frequestreduce.org%2Fcategories%2Fmusic-cross-clipart.html&t=YzhlMGM1YmYxMTAzZTNiYWQ3M2M0ZDMyMjFlN2Q4Mzc0ODhmMTc5MSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)



## Suite N. 1

  1. Opus 1: “Solitude” (by Duke Ellington); Artist: Kandance Springs; Home video; Youtube channel: UCdVUmCH-QAqd_7ibSND0HZg; Published on Apr 26, 2016.
  2. Opus 2: “Heart of Gold” (by Neil Young); Artist: Neil Young; Album: Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 (1963-1972): Youtube channel: mxandguys: Published on Jul 11, 2011.  
   ⧫ Bonus: Neil Young - [“Old Man & Heart of Gold”](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DyjyrJaeUCes&t=ZGU3MzNjZmVjOTZkMTI2MDdmMmViNzEwMGQ1MjIwMGFjNDBjYjAxMSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); Farm Aid 2013 (Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, New York, 21 September 2013); Youtube channel: DrSotosoctopus8; Published on Nov 12, 2013.
  3. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fpngtree.com%2Ffreebackground%2Fmarine-background-night-sky-stars_746043.html&t=Yjc0YTUzNDcxZDFhYTVhOWYxMDM5NjZjZWI5OWU5YWU2M2MwZWM5YSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rusticofutah.com%2Fshop%2Foutdoor%2Fyard-swings%2Faspen-log-yard-swing%2F&t=NTU5NTJiOTgyZGEzZWE4MDc4Zjg5OWUzNzcxNjhmM2JkYTY3NzY3ZCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.videoblocks.com%2Fvideo%2Fheart-shaped-paradise-island-at-ocean-v2kf260hl&t=NjIyOTJjYWI4MWE1OTc4OTZlNzBlOWZjZTU4NTQ3N2Q0MTg2NGI0MixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [4](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fonceuponatime.fandom.com%2Fwiki%2FBlanchard_Loft&t=YTJkZjY0NTgzZmNlMTE0NmZjMDhiYmUyNDFmZWI1ZGRiN2ZiYTA4YSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [5](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Frode.land%2Fimages%2Fstories%2Floft%2F&t=NDljZWYzOWNlY2Y0ZWQ3NWQ3ZjRkMmRmYmExOWU0YjYwMDljMzc3MCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [6](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fgallery.yopriceville.com%2FFree-Clipart-Pictures%2FHearts-PNG%2FGolden_Heart_Transparent_PNG_Clip_Art%23.XHVBB4j0mUk&t=ODJiMGU1NGM2NTAxMGFjNDFkOGZkZjcxZjM0MTA0MTFhYjU5ZmVkMixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [7](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Frlz%3D1C1CHZL_pt-BRBR683BR683%26q%3Dmusical%2Bnotes%2Btransparent%2Bimages%26tbm%3Disch%26source%3Duniv%26sa%3DX%26ved%3D2ahUKEwisx-O5wdngAhXYKrkGHUUPC9oQsAR6BAgFEAE%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D937&t=ODcyMTYzMDRiNjFhNTg2MzdjYmUxMWUxNmIwNzRiMjllN2QxNTYyZixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1).



## Suite N. 2

  1. Opus 1: “Ocean” Etude Op.25 No.12 in C Minor (by Chopin); Artist: Vladimir Horowitz; Youtube channel: MusicClassical1; Published on August 30, 2010.
  2. Opus 2: “Sailing” (by Gavin Maurice Sutherland); Artist: Rod Stewart; Youtube channel: coolmango0; Published on May 27, 2007.
  3. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sunnyskyz.com%2Fblog%2F2289%2FMeet-Nathan-The-Beach-Kitten-Who-LOVES-To-Swim-In-The-Ocean-&t=NmI4YjM2ZmJjZGUwYjA2MzdlNDdiMTQ1NzdjYTI2MDA1ZWZjMzM4OCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theatreworldbackdrops.com%2F405%2Fagrabah-palace-exterior-backdrop&t=NTg2Zjc2YmRjODM1NmYyYTc2NGRkNjM3ZTZhZmQwZTE2YjY1ZjQzMCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fmacmanx.com%2Fgallery%2Fhawaii-2007%2Focean-water-near-kauai%2F&t=NjAxMzIyNGU4MTJlMmQ2ZWNiZmQ0YTNhOGMyYzU3ZjAxODY0YTU1NSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [4](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Frequestreduce.org%2Fcategories%2Fbook-clipart-png-transparent-background.html%23overlayGallery9_post_10392_book-clipart-png-transparent-background-15.png&t=NzRlYmJjMmE0YjAzOGE0NDg5MWRjY2VlYTNlZDZkMDgzNmU2NDA3ZSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [5](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fsuffolktimes.timesreview.com%2F2012%2F12%2F36735%2Fhms-bounty-featured-in-weather-channel-special-tonight%2F&t=NTA2NTA5ODkxODA5OWNiZTI1MjkyNThjMjRlZGEzYjc1ZTFkMWZhMSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [6](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Frlz%3D1C1CHZL_pt-BRBR683BR683%26q%3Dmusical%2Bnotes%2Btransparent%2Bimages%26tbm%3Disch%26source%3Duniv%26sa%3DX%26ved%3D2ahUKEwisx-O5wdngAhXYKrkGHUUPC9oQsAR6BAgFEAE%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D937&t=ODcyMTYzMDRiNjFhNTg2MzdjYmUxMWUxNmIwNzRiMjllN2QxNTYyZixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1).



## Suite N. 3

  1. Opus 1: “Love Dream” Liebestraum No 3 in A-flat major (by Liszt); Artist: Nobuyuki Tsujii; Youtube channel: Subito67; Published on October 21, 2014.
  2. Opus 2: “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” (Official Video) (by Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox); Artist: Eurythmics; Youtube channel: UCyduOPMIl8N6vlyJxRo2v7g; Published on Oct 25, 2009.
  3. References:   
   ⧫ Book: “Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self”, by Robert Waggoner, Publisher **:**  Moment Point Press (October 1, 2008)   
   ⧫ Book: “A Short History of Nearly Everything”, by Bill Bryson, Publisher: Black Swan (2004)
  4. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.design-decoration-ideas.com%2Fpopular-romantic-bedroom-decor%2F&t=ZTJkNTg4MWVmYTViNGU2NzhkYmM5YTUzZTNkNzY0MDYyODVkODFiOSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fsites.google.com%2Fsite%2Fwaldorfwatch%2Fanthro-art&t=ZDJhNWEyMmFlY2U1MDU2ZDI0OGJhODQzZWI5YzA5N2Q0NTUxZThlZCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Frlz%3D1C1CHZL_pt-BRBR683BR683%26q%3Dmusical%2Bnotes%2Btransparent%2Bimages%26tbm%3Disch%26source%3Duniv%26sa%3DX%26ved%3D2ahUKEwisx-O5wdngAhXYKrkGHUUPC9oQsAR6BAgFEAE%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D937&t=ODcyMTYzMDRiNjFhNTg2MzdjYmUxMWUxNmIwNzRiMjllN2QxNTYyZixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [4](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.nauticindex.com%2Faccuracy-basic-nautic-tools%2F&t=MWUxMDg5NDU1NWRmNzRmMDExZjRlMTc1NDdiNjI5ZDI3N2ZjMDI5YyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [5](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dv52JsTmdBjc&t=ZDAxNzhiZDViYThiYWM0OGNmNzJjYjVhOWNmZGMyNWEwNzY4ZGVmOCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [6](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fcarwad.net%2Fdiamond-heart-cliparts&t=NjU4OGE4NDA4OGFjYTMwNDBjMTQ1OTYwZjg3MjMxMDAwMDUzYjU1MixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1).



## Suite N. 4

  1. Opus 1: “First time ever I saw your face” (by Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger); Artist: Kandace Springs; home video; Youtube channel: UCdVUmCH-QAqd_7ibSND0HZg; Published on Nov 30, 2014.
  2. Opus 2: “Angel in my Heart” (by Mick Jagger); Artist: Mick Jagger; Youtube channel: LibAttitude; Published on Apr 29, 2013.  
   ⧫ Bonus: [“Wish You Were Here”](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D1tGO1Y4FGpI&t=ZjkzMDZmMTBhMTQxZTg5Nzc2ZmExMDk1MTE4MjM2NTAxMDRjMzhjYyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1) (by David Gilmour & Roger Waters); Artist: Pink Floyd; Album Wish You Were Here; Youtube channel: ZeppelinBigFan; Pub.on May 30, 2009.  
 _Note to contextualize the use of this song in the story_ :  _As said by the living members of Pink Floyd in the movie/documentary ‘The Story of Wish You Were Here’ (2012), this album is not just about Syd Barrett, their former member, leader, composer, singer, guitar player. This album is also about criticizing the phonographic industry. The critic to the phonographic industry is notorious by the cover of the album (2 persons making a deal and one of them gets burned) and the songs 'Welcome to the machine' and 'Have a Cigar'. The song "Shine on you crazy diamond" both parts (opening and closing of the album) are dedicated to Syd Barrett, and it's obvious by the lyrics ('Remember when you were young'; 'Nobody knows where you are'; 'Come on you painter' (his job before Pink Floyd))._  
 _About the song ‘Wish You Were Here’ what they say is that they play the song thinking about Syd, and they can't to it of other way, although this song is not like "Shine On", it's not specifically about Syd._  
 _Roger Waters (the writer of the lyrics) says: " Can you free yourself enough to be able to experience the reality of life as it goes on before and with you, and as you go on as part of it, or not? Because if you can't you stand on square one until you die. It might sound like bullshit but that's what the song is about. All the songs are encouraging me, I imagine that I write them for me, it's to encourage myself not to accept a lead role in a cage, but to go on demanding to myself that I keep auditioning for a walk on part in the war, because that's where I want to be. I want to be in the trenchers, I don't want to be in the headquarters or sitting in a hotel somewhere, I want to be... Engaged... Probably, I might say, in a way that my father would approve of.”_  
 _David Gilmour says: "’Shine on’ is the one specifically about Syd, ‘Wish you were here’ is a broader remit". ([source](https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/2861/))_
  3. References:  
   ⧫ Book: “Flower Therapy: Welcome the Angels of Nature into your Life”, by Doreen Virtue and Robert Reeves. Publisher: Hay House (2012).  
   ⧫ Paper: “Sacred Connection of Ornamental Flowers with Religious Symbols - a Review”, by Husti Anca and Maria Cantor, ProEnvironment 8(2015) 73 - 79. [Available at ](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fjournals.usamvcluj.ro%2Findex.php%2Fpromediu.&t=Y2Q5Y2IzZTMyMGI1ZGM3YjBjYmQ1MDE1MDBjMjA0M2FjMzA3MzBkZCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)  
   ⧫ [Book: “Flower Fairies”, by Cicely Mary Barker](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fflowerfairies.com%2Fbooks%2F&t=OWMyY2QyMjExN2FkMWU4ZGQ5M2YxMDdmY2UzMDQ2ZmZlNTU1YzNhZixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)
  4. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbr.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F117093659038610965%2F%3Flp%3Dtrue&t=MjU4MjBjZWNkMDYwNDc4NjkxMGUyNjM4M2UyYmUzZjI3YzhlMjA1ZSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stickpng.com%2Fimg%2Fobjects%2Feasels%2Fblank-canvas-on-easel&t=ZjIzNzljNGYwMDhhMzcwZjJmNjNlZmU4NmRiYTA0YTU3ZWVmMWY0NCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.raygrahams.com%2Fblog%2F49-get-your-flower-beds-blooming-with-the-garden-hand-tool-set.aspx&t=OWRkNzQwOTI3N2M3ZTQxZmE5ZmM2ODZkYTU5YWVhZjM0Yzc4YjIxYixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [4](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stickpng.com%2Fimg%2Fnature%2Fflowers%2Fvarious%2Fpurple-flower&t=YWFjODI0NmI3M2M5YzE3YzEyYTQ1MWFkMjkyMjEzZGY0MTI4ZWE4ZCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [5](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Filovehdwallpapers.com%2Fview-fantasy-night-moon-clouds-sky-1680x1050.html&t=ODAzYWMzOGI1MTIwYWU5NGI3MTI5MTU5OTE2M2U4ZjAxYjM3MGU5NixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [6](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbr.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F511932682612396224%2F&t=NzczYjkxM2RiODIyNWVkMThhY2VkZGQ4Y2Y5Mzc4NGUzZDdhMzczMCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [7](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.at%2Fpin%2F134334001358481265%2F&t=YmFmZWM2MjJkNWU3YjYxNjBhYjgzNzM1ZWFlMmU4MjhjODM0MWJlYixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [8](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fpngimg.com%2Fimgs%2Ffantasy%2Fwings%2F&t=Y2E5NTAwMzc4OTFmNWM4ZTFlZDE3NTBiNjJhYjI2OTNiZWY4ODUzZSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [9](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pngmart.com%2Fimage%2F7435&t=YzYwMDAyNjdkMjZiYTRiNjE2YjgyOTdmZjkzNzMyZTU3Mjg2ZDJlZixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1).



## Suite N. 5

  1. Opus 1: “Moonlight Sonata” Op.27 No.2 Mov.1,2,3 (by Beethoven); Artist: Valentina Lisitsa; Youtube channel: facevideobook; Pub. on Apr 18, 2013.
  2. Opus 2: “How Sweet it is to be Loved by You” (Brian Holland, Edward Jr. Holland and Lamont Dozier); Artist: James Taylor; Album: Gorilla; Youtube channel: grapebuy789; Published on Feb 11, 2012.
  3. References:  
   ⧫ About the [heart](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eurostemcell.org%2Fheart-our-first-organ&t=OTNiNDA0ODI3MjAxMWY0MTRkYzRkYjNmNTVlMWQ5MmQ1MmYwNzkzYyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)   
   ⧫ Book: “The Ultimate Guide to the Rider Waite Tarot”, by Johannes Fiebig and Evelin Burger, Published by Llewellyn Publications (2013)  
   ⧫ [About Beethoven’s sonata](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FPiano_Sonata_No._14_%28Beethoven%29&t=MDUxMjQ3OGNjOTdiZTUxNmNhZDgxNmY0YzE1MzAxODYyY2NiMzgwNixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)   
   ⧫ Symbolic meaning of [carnation](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.teleflora.com%2Fmeaning-of-flowers%2Fcarnation&t=ZDQyZjhmYWQ2ZGJhNTEyMjMzYjNkMjQ3ZGU2OTZlZjRhMmIzYzA2YSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)
  4. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Ftinyhousegiantjourney.com%2F2017%2F05%2F22%2Ftiny-log-cabin%2F&t=ZmY3NzBmYTJlYTI2NTUwYzJiNjI2N2I2NTE1MTcxNzdkZjkzYjQxMixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cretegazette.com%2F2009-09%2Fgazing-starry-sky-crete.php&t=MTI0ZDg1ZThhMjhhZDI1YjQ1ZGU2Yzk0MDUzZmJiNGVhMjVmODVlNCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Famazing-science.fandom.com%2Fwiki%2FStates_of_matter&t=ZjkxYmQ4OGI0ZmYyMGFmMTdhNDQzZDMzNWU2NDdjNmRhMjcyOTExNixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [4](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwallpaper.si%2Fhd-resolution-sunset-beach-wallaper%2Fbeach-flowers-sunset-6946%2F&t=NWJjZGNkYWIwM2RkZTBjOTlkNDExYWY3MjcxZjQxMGRhNzAzNGQ4MSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [5](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fjst.org.uk%2Fsailing-adventures%2F&t=YjFhMzc2ODlhZWUyYjJkNjBlZmEzMzA3NTI5NTMxNTc4NDZjNDhlMSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1).



## Suite N. 6

  1. Opus 1: “Clair de lune” [Suite bergamasque, L. 75] (by Claude     Debussy); Artist: Seong-Jin Cho; Concert on Siemensvilla, Berlin; Youtube channel: UCLb2qiPZcbEn1fTO__sho8Q; Published on Oct, 16, 2017.  
  2. Opus 2: “Une Barque sur L'Ocean” Miroirs III (by Ravel); Artist: André Laplante; Album: Ravel; Youtube channel: OrangeSodaKing; Pub on Jul 27, 2009.  
   ⧫ Bonus 1: “[I left my heart in San Francisco](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dz5uZryXCZrk&t=N2QyOTE3MTIzZWMzMDFlZTZkMzRiMDgyMmEwYzNkMjQxYzkwNDIzMSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)” (by Douglas Cross and George Cory); Artist: Tony Bennett; Album: 60 Early Hits; Youtube channel: UCN84lWlDSG7_tCilT4JdD-g; Published on Jul 22, 2015.      
   ⧫ Bonus 2: “[Follow the Yellow Brick Road](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DTHbY7EL8k5w&t=YzAyNDJiZDk3NjY3YjIyZmMzNWI2NTY2NzEyNzZiNmY5OTZhMjEyNCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1)”; The Munchkins see that Dorothy gets safely across the Munchkin land border - from the Warner Bros. film - “The Wizard Of Oz”; Youtube channel: WBMoviesOnline; Published on Jan 20, 2010.
  3. References:  
   ⧫ Reading suggestion: “The second sex”, by Simone de Beauvoir, Published by Vintage (2011)
  4. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stickpng.com%2Fimg%2Fobjects%2Fcompasses%2Fwooden-compass&t=YjU3NzJlZTY0NmJjNDZlMDUzNzQwNjMxYTBjMDdlYWYyM2JhZjUzYSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rw-designer.com%2Ficon-detail%2F8540&t=NjhiZjFhMGI5YWMzNDZjYjdjY2EyNjZhZGY2NGFjMGY3MzI0MmM2NCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thebridgenewsng.com%2F2018%2F02%2F27%2Fnimet-predicts-cloudy-sunny-skies-for-wednesday%2F&t=MGUyNjhjODZjOGQzYzQ0N2FjZjU0YmM5OTI1ZDY2MDczOGM0NjVhOCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [4](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fmiriadna.com%2Fpreview%2Fmoon-ship&t=MjhhM2RhZTRiMTlmMTc0ZTQwMGYyNzg0ODJmNWMwZDFkYjVmZjVjNCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [5](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Ftoppng.com%2Fknight-white-chess-piece-PNG-free-PNG-Images_31431&t=ZTE5ODc4NTI1NWEwNjllYTIxMzE3YjQxZTUyZGFlZGI3NGUwMmQ3NyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [6](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Ftoppng.com%2Frook-white-chess-piece-PNG-free-PNG-Images_31445&t=YmM4ZDM5Mjc0ZjdkNzM1NDZjNGNjNmYyYjRlMGY3MTQ2ZDU1ODY2MCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [7](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Ftoppng.com%2Frook-white-chess-piece-PNG-free-PNG-Images_31445&t=YmM4ZDM5Mjc0ZjdkNzM1NDZjNGNjNmYyYjRlMGY3MTQ2ZDU1ODY2MCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [8](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fcarwad.net%2Femerald-city-cliparts&t=MzM0NzAwNGVjZjJlNDRhZWM4NTM5MTNlYTYyZjQxYzBmNGNmNTVmZSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [9](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.clker.com%2Fclipart-red-shade-silhouette-woman-1.html&t=YzI5YjExZWU5ZmFlZTkyOGFhMTBiN2YxYWZiNzU0ZjVjNWIzYmU0NixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [10](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbr.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F569423946612811498%2F%3Flp%3Dtrue&t=MGU5MzJhYTJjMDVlOGQ0NGYyZjZlNDc4ZGJlYzNhNmE4N2U5MjllMixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [11](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fpngio.com%2FPNG%2F6700-dorothy-shoes-png.html&t=ZmI3NWUzODJiMDQ3MjQ2YTU1ZTI5NWIzMmE0Y2VmMjAwZDllYTNmOCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [12](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fpngio.com%2FPNG%2F1211-merida-png.html&t=NDVlZTM0MDY5MDM5MGE0ODZjODg5MTgzODFlNGI5ZWQ0YmVkMjVmYyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [13](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pngkey.com%2Fdetail%2Fu2q8t4a9q8o0q8q8_fa-mulan-transparent-background-png-mulan-transparent-background%2F&t=MzY1NDc5NzYxYjIyZDI5NjYyOGQzZDE3NzZmMDVkMDA1NjNhNGJhZCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [14](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pngarts.com%2Fexplore%2F20173&t=Y2Q4ZjBmNGIzZTY4MzExN2VlYTUzZjhlNWVhMjhmMTlmOGQ2MzU2ZixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [15](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vexels.com%2Fpng-svg%2Fpreview%2F144958%2Fflamenco-dancer-silhouette&t=M2MzZDdjNDQ0N2Y0OWE5M2JjNTBmM2ZjMTQwNzgzZjJiMGUyYTE3OCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [16](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.windisourfriend.com%2Fen%2Fsailingship%2Fmercedes.html&t=MzQ2YTY4ZGIxNDJlM2Y5ZTMwOGNkNDdlZGE1ZTc0YTNiYjI0M2MwNCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [17](https://t.umblr.c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## Suite N. 7

  1. Opus 1: “The Swan” - The Carnival of the Animals, R. 125: XIII. The Swan (Arr. for Cello and Piano) (by Saint-Saëns); Artists: Yo-Yo Ma, Kathryn Stott; Youtube channel: UCHWa5v6bbSxpns7mUfC3e5g; Published on Aug 5, 2015.
  2. Opus 2: “Ocean Waltz” (by Sting); Artist: Sting; Album: The living sea; Youtube channel: Svetlana621805; Published on Aug 27, 2011.
  3. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pngall.com%2Fswan-png&t=MGU5ZDNlMDE4NGE5OGM0OWNiYzg3MDg3OGI2OTM0MGNmN2VjMTc5YSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fclipart-library.com%2Fpirate-hook-cliparts.html&t=N2M4ZmVhZjY2Y2I0OTUwZDU2YjIzODc3NDg0Yjg5ODc2ZmM4YjM0MyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbr.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F328692472797175676%2F%3Flp%3Dtrue&t=NzNhMzc0ZWZlN2MwMThhMmVkNDI5MTAzNzBhMDUyYjUxNjNjODk1NixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [4](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fpt.depositphotos.com%2F172845802%2Fstock-photo-beautiful-maldivian-atoll-white-beach.html&t=MTBkMzk5M2EwMzJlODM4MmYxNjNjMzIxZTljZjA5YWUyZTFlZmZmNyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [5](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljanh.net%2Fhouse-in-the-woods-wallpapers%2F1097476740.html&t=ZGU1MWQ0ODRhMWQ0ODVjNWZmZjk4M2RmNTVjOGM5MmEzZjA4NzU4ZCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [6](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas.com%2Ffreshwater-reserves-under-sea%2F30072%2F&t=Y2EyNmMzNmEyNDhjYTJjZTI1ODBjMGU5MjEzNjhmZDE0MDBlNzczMCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1).



## Suite N. 8

  1. Song: “Melody of Love” (H. Engelmann and Tom Glazer); Artists: Billy Vaughn and His Orchestra - (1954); Album: Sweet Music and Memories; Youtube channel: CatsPjamas1; Published on Jul 25, 2011.
  2. “He” - Song: “Melody of Love” (H. Engelmann and Tom Glazer); Artists: Frank Sinatra, Ray Anthony And His Orchestra; Youtube channel: UCJtvg6ZFwzdFdtcHBqetvwg (official artist channel); Published on May 8, 2017.
  3. “She” -  Song: “Melody of Love” (H. Engelmann and Tom Glazer); Artist: Connie Francis: Youtube channel: UCGo9Nr4JHLupRw0Jo9DILSQ; Published on Jul 8, 2016.
  4. References:  
   ⧫ Reading suggestion: “I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness”, by Susan Verde (author) and Peter H. Reynolds (illustrator); Pub.: Harry N. Abrams (2017).
  5. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F102537907%40N03%2F16479277270&t=YjEzMDM3ZmUyOGFiYzlhZDg2ZmJmODljN2M2NTZkOWY4MzhhNmY4OCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.onlygfx.com%2F15-couple-silhouette-png-transparent%2F&t=ODlkMzE0YzU5ZDY2OTBkMzNhZmMxM2M1ZWU3MzBhZDhjOWRkOGI5NCxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fclipart-library.com%2Fcat-cliparts-transparent.html&t=ZDc2YTNlOWEzOTBlNjI1MGM5ZGMzNDFiOTNjYjkwODJlN2Q2ZDY4NyxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [4](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vexels.com%2Fpng-svg%2Fpreview%2F144340%2Fplaying-dog-silhouette-posing&t=YjY4YjliNDY5YzQ5ODEwNmE2ZTc4ZjQ1NGQ1OTliYWIyYTUyNDhiYSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1).



## Extra Bonus

  1. Song 1: “Riverdance” (Cloudsong) (by Bill Wheelan); Artists: Anúna; Album: Riverdance; Youtube channel: UCSjWBRfuPRL0qfTM4FIySIQ; Published on Sep 15, 2018.
  2. Song 2: “The Song We Were Singing” (by Paul McCartney); Artist: Paul McCartney; Album: Flaming Pies; Youtube channel: nowhereman113; Published on Apr 25, 2013
  3. Images used in the collages: [1](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fhandluggageonly.co.uk%2F2015%2F08%2F02%2Fyou-need-to-visit-this-tiny-little-heart-shaped-island-in-the-middle-of-nowhere%2F&t=NTE5NjNlYzM3YTZjZDNkM2EwNDdmODQzYWIzNDEyNjljMWRkNzIxYixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [2](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Fbakken-b%25C3%25A6ck%2Fmaking-our-own-emoji-14538d6088a&t=Y2I3MzIwYjlmMDNhOTNmZDM3MjkxYzYyYjdmNzViYmMwMDdlZDhmNSxoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1); [3](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Frlz%3D1C1CHZL_pt-BRBR683BR683%26q%3Driver%2Bimages%26tbm%3Disch%26source%3Duniv%26sa%3DX%26ved%3D2ahUKEwihrPWK2tngAhUiC9QKHRdpBU8QsAR6BAgEEAE%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D937&t=YjYyMDhiOGY5ZTIzMmIzMTJkZmI0OWI3YTY1N2YwZjM5ODEzZWE1NixoMWlBRXJlbg%3D%3D&b=t%3AztAkwEEMkFjUSK2WfwPPAQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Ffreechoicedreamer.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F183074667749%2Fcs-march-madness-day-29&m=1).




End file.
